Vying for Her Love - Again
by BeChloeIsLegit
Summary: This is the sequel to "Vying for Her Love" and picks up five years later. Beca lets her job get in the way of her family, putting her marriage in jeopardy. Chloe calls her out on it but then Chloe puts her marriage in jeopardy. Rated M for language.
1. Chapter 1

_**Note**_ **: I'm sorry it took so long to get this posted. I've written and deleted it three times and then kept editing the fourth draft. I had some writer's block and nothing was coming out the way I wanted it. This may not be the best one, but it has the best parts of the various iterations; at least in my opinion for what it's worth.**

 **This is a sequel to "Vying for Her Love" and picks up five years later. If you haven't already, you should probably read it. You'll be more familiar with the additional characters that have been added.**

 **I don't own anything to do with the** _ **Pitch Perfect**_ **franchise, the characters, or the actors/actresses who play those characters.**

 _ **Warning**_ **: There will be angst, probably quite a bit of it before things get better. Not enough for you to want to kill me (I hope), more than you would usually see in my fics. But, trust me, it will all be okay.**

 **Here we go. I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Beca Mitchell jerked awake when someone came into the studio. She yawned and looked at the custodian who was looking back at her.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Mitchell," the night custodian, Joe, said. "I didn't know you were in here."

"It's okay," Beca said as she stood and stretched. "Come on in."

Joe pushed his cleaning cart into the studio, and suddenly Beca's eyes got wide. "Shit," she muttered. "Um, what time is it?"

"It's almost midnight," Joe told her.

"Shit, shit, shit," Beca said over and over again as she started grabbing her stuff. "My wife is going to kill me."

Joe stood off to the side and patiently waited until Beca got all her stuff and started rushing out the door. "Good night, Joe!," she yelled as she ran down the hall.

Joe just shook his head and started cleaning the studio. Beca ran to the elevators and waited impatiently for one to finally show up. As soon as the doors to one opened she hurried in and pressed the button for the garage.

"Come on, come on, come on," Beca chanted wishing the elevator moved faster. The doors finally opened and she sprinted for her Porsche 911 convertible. She opened the door and threw her computer bag and everything else on the passenger seat and screeched out of her parking space. She hurried through the garage only to be stopped at the exit.

"I'm sorry, Miss Mitchell," the security guard said. "But you need to sign out before I can open the gate."

"Fine," Beca said as she grabbed the clipboard and completed the sign-out sheet. She practically throws the clipboard at the guard who checks it and then opens the gate. "Thanks!"

"Have a good-," Beca zoomed out of the garage, "night."

Beca speeds home, praying she doesn't get stopped. Lucky for her there isn't a lot of traffic. She makes it home about 20 minutes later and pulls into the garage. She jumps out of the car and hurries into the house.

"Shit," Beca mumbled as she walked in and found all the lights were off. She made her way through the kitchen and into the living room. She checked the couch to see if Chloe had fallen asleep waiting up for her. She wasn't there.

Beca let out a heavy sigh and slowly made her way upstairs. She checked on Sophie and saw that she was sleeping soundly. She kissed her forehead and pulled the blanket up over her. She quietly left Sophie's room and went to Dylan's room. She checked on him and he was also asleep. She kneeled down next to his bed.

"I'm sorry I missed your party, buddy," Beca said quietly. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Beca kissed Dylan and stood up. She ran a hand through her hair and let out another sigh. She knew it was time to face the music with Chloe and she also knew Chloe was more than pissed. Beca left Dylan's room and quietly closed the door.

She decided to check her phone and let out a quiet "Fuck." She had 10 missed texts, 6 missed calls, and 4 voicemails from Chloe. She also noticed she had texts from Stacie and Aubrey. She opened the one from Stacie first.

 _Stacie [6:15 pm]: If you're not home in the next 30 minutes, you might not want to come home at all._

"Dammit," Beca said and wiped a tear from her eye. She was afraid but opened the text from Aubrey next.

 _Posen [7:00 pm]: You are in deep shit._

"That doesn't sound ominous at all," Beca thought sarcastically. She held her phone and checked the texts from Chloe.

 _Wife [3:15 pm]: Hey, babe are you on your way? Can you pick up some ice?_

 _Wife [3:30 pm]: Are you getting the ice? The party starts in an hour._

 _Wife [3:45 pm]: I really need to know if you're getting the ice. Hurry home. Dylan is asking for you._

 _Wife [4:00 pm]: Jesse went to get ice so don't worry about it._

 _Wife [5:00 pm]: Beca, where are you? Everyone's asking for you and Dylan keeps looking for you. Call me._

 _Wife [5:30 pm]: Dammit, Beca. Call or text me to let me know you're okay._

 _Wife [6:00 pm]: Call me. Please? I'm worried._

 _Wife [7:30 pm]: The party's over, and everyone went home. We need to talk. Call me._

 _Wife [8:30 pm]: The kids missed saying good night. Don't bother calling._

 _Wife [10:15 pm]: I see you haven't bothered to respond to any of my texts or calls. I can't believe you missed Dylan's birthday. I've never been so disappointed in you._

That was the last text. Chloe was disappointed in her. Beca leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor. She knew she screwed up and screwed up bad. Tears ran down her face as she sat there, wondering how she let it get this bad.

Today was Dylan's first birthday. Today was Dylan's first birthday party, _**and**_ Beca missed it because she got caught up in her work. She thought back to the day he was born. She was so happy and excited.

 _ **One Year Ago**_

" _I can't believe we have a son," Beca said as she looked down at Chloe and their newborn son. She wiped a tear from her eye._

" _He's so beautiful," Chloe said as Beca cupped her cheek and wiped her tears with the pad of her thumb. "Hi, Dylan. I'm your mommy and this is your mama."_

" _Hey, buddy," Beca said looking down at him. "He's amazing. You're amazing."_

 _Beca leaned in and kissed Chloe. "We should probably let his big sister and his Godmothers in to see him."_

" _I'll get them and be right back," Beca said. "I love you."_

" _I love you, too," Chloe said, and Beca kissed her again._

 _Beca kissed Dylan's forehead and left to get Sophie and the rest of the family so they could meet Dylan James Mitchell._

Everyone fell in love with the newborn. Stacie and Aubrey were already Sophie's Godmothers, so it was safe to say they asked them to be Dylan's as well. The couple had moved to L.A. about two years ago when Stacie got a job doing research at UCLA.

Sophie was over the moon for her baby brother. She smiled and called him "Dylwin" and it was the cutest thing.

Beca frowned as she thought back to what happened two days after Dylan was born. Chloe and Dylan were both due to come home that day. Beca was supposed to pick them up, but Khaled had called a special meeting and Beca had to go in. She had only planned to stay for the meeting and then leave to go to the hospital to take Chloe and Dylan home. That plan was thrown out the window when Khaled promoted her to second lead producer and had taken everyone out to celebrate. Chloe had to call Aubrey to pick her and Dylan up from the hospital.

 _Beca got home a couple of hours after Chloe did that day. Chloe was not in a good mood, and Beca was feeling no pain from all the drinks she had._

" _Chlooooooo," Beca called out when she walked in the front door. "Chloeeeeeee! I've got a surprise for you." Beca started laughing._

" _Keep your voice down," Chloe said walking over to the drunk brunette. "You're going to wake the baby."_

" _Shhhh," Beca said holding a finger to her lips. "The baby's sleeeeeepppppppiiiiiiinnnnngggg."_

" _You're drunk," Chloe said with a look of disgust on her face. "Is this why you couldn't bring us home? Because you were getting drunk?"_

" _I was premated," Beca said and furrowed her brow. "That's not right. I was premoted. Pro-mated?"_

" _Promoted?," Chloe finally offers._

" _Yes," Beca said. "That. I was...what you just said."_

 _Beca heard a baby start crying. "Did you have the baby?," Beca asked with a look of wonderment on her face. "What did you have?"_

" _A boy," Chloe snapped at her. "God, Beca! I can't-"_

" _Chlo," Stacie said walking over to the couple. "Why don't you go see about Dylan. Brey and I will get Beca to bed._

" _Thank you," is all Chloe said. She shook her head at Beca and turned and walked away._

" _Come on, Becs," Stacie said taking the drunken girl by the arm. "Let's get you to bed."_

" _I don't want to go to bed," Beca said in a whiney voice. "I want to see the baby."_

" _The baby's sleeping," Aubrey said taking Beca's other side. "You can see him in the morning."_

" _Him?," Beca said smiling. "We have a boy? That is so awesome!"_

 _Stacie and Aubrey manage to get Beca into some pajamas and into bed. She rolled over to her side and started snoring._

" _She is in so much trouble," Stacie said, looking down at Beca. "I hope this is just a one-time thing."_

Beca wished she could say it had been a one-time thing, but sadly it wasn't. Missing Dylan's party today was just the cherry on top.

Beca was already feeling bad so she decided to listen to Chloe's voicemails.

 _Wife [4:30 pm]: Hey, babe. The party's started and everyone's asking about you. Dylan looks really cute in that shorts set you got him and he keeps asking for his mama._ [there was a pause, and the only thing she heard was Chloe's breathing]. _Becs, I'm worried. Could you please call and let me know everything's okay. You promised you'd be home before the party started._

 _Wife [6:45 pm]: Beca, the party's almost over. I hope whatever you're doing is worth missing your son's party._

 _Wife [8:10 pm]: The kids were hoping they could say good night. It would be nice if you could tear yourself away from whatever it is you're doing to at least call and tell them good night._

 _Wife [10:00 pm]: I'm going to bed. Don't bother waking me when, or if, you decide to come home. I don't know what plans you have tomorrow but cancel them because we are going to sit down and have a long overdue talk._

Beca knows she isn't going to be able to cute her way out of this. She had let Chloe down so many times in the past year. She wishes she could blame it on the promotion, but that was just mostly for show. She made more money with the new title, but her job didn't change. And as much as Theo and Khaled told her she didn't have to, she felt like she needed to work longer hours to give the client what they wanted.

She remembered another argument she and Chloe had about six months ago. Beca had it written into every contract that she did not work on weekends. She also tried to keep the late nights during the week to a minimum.

The label had a new singer Khaled had signed and she was proving to be a bit of a diva without having released a single record. Beca catered to her whims and stayed late a few too many nights. Chloe seemed okay with it. But then she started getting calls from _Blaze_ , aka Toni Daniels, on the weekends, pulling her away from her family. This upset Chloe to no end.

" _I thought you had the weekend clause in_ _ **all**_ _your contracts with the artists you work with," Chloe said. It was obvious to Beca she was trying to rein in her anger._

" _I do, but-"_

" _No buts, Beca," Chloe interrupted. "You promised to take Sophie and Dylan to the park today. Are you breaking your promise again? And last weekend you promised to take them to the '50s diner they love so much for breakfast. I had to take them alone. Am I taking them to the park today alone as well?"_

" _It's my job," Beca said._

" _It's always your job," Chloe said. She pushed a hand through her hair and turned her back on Beca. "You know what? Just go. I'll keep your promise to the kids for you like I always do."_

" _Chlo-"_

" _Just go, Beca," Chloe said sounding defeated._

Beca hated the way Chloe looked at her when she told her to 'just go'. Beca wiped at the tears that continued to fall. Today was supposed to be a happy day. All their friends and the Bellas were going to be there to celebrate Dylan's first birthday. Aubrey and Stacie had come earlier to take Dylan and Sophie to their house to play with Bella and Maddie. Beca was glad when their best friends moved to L.A. for Stacie's research job at UCLA. Their kids were best friends and they enjoyed spending time with their Aunt Aubrey and Aunt Stacie.

Beca was helping Chloe decorate when her phone rang. She hadn't bothered to look at the caller ID and was laughing at something Chloe said when she answered.

" _Hello," Beca said still chuckling._

" _Someone's in a good mood," the voice on the phone said._

" _What do you want, Toni?," Beca asked her smile dropping._

" _I need to get into the studio," Toni (aka Blaze) said. "I have a new idea for some of the vocals and we need to get them laid down while they're fresh in my head."_

 _Beca didn't give in. This time she pushed back and was adamant that she wasn't going into the studio. Today was too important._

" _It's Saturday," Beca said. "We've been over this before. The contract you and I signed said that I don't work weekends. You'll just have to wait until Monday."_

" _Come on, Beca," Blaze whined. "I really need to do it today."_

" _No," Beca said, and Chloe smiled at her. "My son's birthday is today and we're throwing him a party. I can't go to the studio. I'll see you on Monday."_

" _We'll see about that," Blaze said and ended the call._

" _What the hell does that mean?," Beca asked looking at her phone._

" _What does that mean?," Chloe asked._

" _I told her I couldn't go to the studio today and that I'd see her on Monday," Beca said. "Then she said 'we'll see about that' and hung up. What do you think she meant by that?"_

" _I don't know," Chloe said. "Help me with the tables."_

 _About fifteen minutes later, Beca's phone started ringing. Beca sighed and looked at the screen to see that Khaled himself was calling._

" _Shit," Beca said. "It's Khaled."_

" _Answer it," Chloe said._

" _Yeah," Beca said answering the call, putting it on speaker._

" _Why did I just get a call from a crying Blaze saying you told her to fuck off when she asked about doing some vocals in the studio?," Khaled asked. Beca could hear the anger in his voice._

" _I didn't tell her to 'fuck off'," Beca said letting her anger come through as well. "I told her my contract clearly states that I do not work on weekends and that we could lay down the vocals on Monday. I've already given up enough of my weekends to her already."_

" _I understand you have the weekend clause in the contract," Khaled said, softening a little. "But her album is already behind schedule. We need to get this done so we can have you focusing on other artists."_

" _It's Dylan's birthday today," Beca said. "I'm not going to work just because that diva bitch doesn't understand the concept of contracts."_

" _Look, Beca," Khaled said with a sigh. "I get it. I do. I have a son of my own, but you only need to work with her for a couple of hours. You won't have to miss the party."_

" _I, I," Beca stammered and ran a hand through her hair. "No."_

" _No?," Khaled said. "Do I need to remind you who signs your paycheck every week? It's just a few hours. Deal with it and call Blaze back and tell her you'll meet her in the studio. Today."_

" _I can't," Beca said looking at Chloe._

" _You will," Khaled said. "Or don't bother coming back to the studio at all."_

" _You'd fire me because of this?," Beca said, really getting angry now. "The bitch hasn't even released a song yet and she's not that great a singer. I've been with you for years."_

" _It's strictly business, Beca," Khaled said firmly. "You either do the work you're given or I find someone else who will."_

" _This is bullshit," Beca said through gritted teeth._

" _Just go, Becs," Chloe said. "Just be back before the party."_

 _Beca looked at Chloe and saw a small smile on her face. She sighed and said into the phone, "I'll be there" and ended the call._

" _I'm sorry, Chlo," Beca said._

" _It's okay," Chloe said. "I know Khaled didn't give you much of a choice. Just go spend some time in the studio." She pulls Beca to her. "Just make sure you're back before the party starts."_

" _Promise," Beca said and kissed Chloe. "I'd better go so I can get back. I love you."_

" _I love you, too," Chloe said._

 _Beca had called Blaze and told her to meet her at the studio. She could hear the smugness in Blaze's voice when she said, "I knew you'd see it my way."_

 _Beca left and was at the studio twenty minutes later. She pulled up to the security guard in the garage and signed in. She parked in her space (one of the perks of being the second lead producer) and took the elevator up to the studio. She turned on the lights and the equipment and checked her phone. She played around with some of the tracks they had already done and kept checking her phone._

 _After an hour and no Blaze, she called the girl._

" _Hello," Blaze answered._

" _Where the fuck are you?," Beca asked angrily._

" _Whoa, Becs," Blaze said. "What's with all the hostility? I'm having brunch with some friends."_

" _Brunch?" Beca said. "Are you fucking kidding me right now? You have exactly twenty minutes to get your ass to the studio or I'm gone, and this can wait until Monday."_

" _You won't leave," Blaze said. "Do you really want me to call Khaled again? He didn't seem too happy that I called him the first time."_

" _Twenty minutes," Beca said through gritted teeth. "And I can't tell you how many fucks I don't give about you calling Khaled. Twenty minutes and I'm gone."_

 _With that Beca ended the call. She threw her phone on the soundboard and rubbed her face with her hands. She sat back and waited. Blaze came breezing through the doors eighteen minutes later._

" _I brought some friends," Blaze said as three others followed her into the studio._

" _I don't give a fuck," Beca said. "Get into the booth and let's start. I'm out of here at 2:00."_

" _We'll see about that," she heard Blaze say but chose to ignore her._

" _What song are we doing?," Beca asked before Blaze went into the booth._

" _Friends," Blaze said as she went into the booth._

 _Beca pulled up the music tracks as Blaze put on her headphones._

" _Ready?," Beca asked._

 _Blaze nodded her head and Beca started the playback. Beca nodded her head and then looked on with a WTF look as Blaze began rapping the song._

 _Ooh ooh, ooh ooh  
_ _Ooh ooh, ooh ooh_

 _You say you love me, I say you crazy  
_ _We're nothing more than friends  
_ _You're not my lover, more like a brother  
_ _I known you since we were like ten, yeah_

 _Don't mess it up, talking that shit  
_ _Only gonna push me away, that's it  
_ _When you say you love me, that make me crazy  
_ _Here we go again_

 _Beca finally had enough and stopped the music and pressed the mic to talk to Blaze. "What the fuck are you doing?"_

" _I think it would sound better as a rap song," Blaze said._

" _Oh, my God," Beca said. "No. Just no. That sounded like shit."_

 _Blaze grabs the headphones off her head and storms out of the booth. She looks at her three friends. "Get out," she told them._

" _Come on, Toni," one guy said. "Beca's right that sounded...bad. Really,_ _ **really**_ _bad."_

" _I didn't ask you for your opinion," Blaze told him. She then got in his face and screamed. "Get the fuck out!"_

 _He raised his hands in defeat and nodded at the other two friends. The three left and Blaze turned on Beca._

" _How dare you embarrass me like that in front of my friends," Blaze yelled at her._

 _Beca laughed causing Blaze to get angrier. "You heard your friend," Beca said shaking her head. "It was awful. This is not a rap song. It's got some spoken words but definitely not a rap song."_

" _It's my song and I'll sing it however I want," Blaze said. "Let's just call Khaled and see what he thinks."_

" _Be my guest," Beca said. "I just hope you know what you're doing."_

 _Beca sat back and watched as Blaze pulled out her phone. She glared at Beca the whole time and Beca glared back at her._

 _Blaze put the phone to her ear and, as soon as Khaled answered, she started in. She told him how Beca was ignoring what she wanted; she was the artist and Beca should listen to her. She ranted for about three solid minutes before she held the phone out to Beca._

" _He wants to talk to you," Blaze said with a smug smile._

 _Beca takes the phone, and instead of saying anything, she just hit play on the vocals Blaze had just 'rapped'. She held the phone up so Khaled could hear what Blaze had done._

 _When the clip was done, Beca put the phone to her ear. "Still need to talk to me?," Beca asked. "That's what I thought." She held the phone out to Blaze and said, "Your turn."_

 _Blaze grabbed the phone from Beca's hand and put it to her ear. She didn't get to say a word before Khaled started yelling at her. Blaze's face was turning red and she finally said, "Fine. I understand." She then ended the call._

" _I guess we won't be making a rap song," Blaze said. "I still need to lay down the vocals so let's get to it."_

 _She turned and went back into the booth. Beca just shook her head and started the music track. Blaze sang it better, but she kept messing up. They had been at it for hours when Blaze decided she had better things to do._

" _I'll expect to hear a playback first thing Monday," Blaze said. "And, I'd better sound good."_

" _I'm good," Beca said. "But I'm no miracle worker."_

 _Blaze decided to change tactics. "Oh, you're good alright," Blaze said going over to stand in front of Beca. She puts her hands on the arms of Beca's chair causing Beca to lean back as far as she can. "I see how you move your fingers over the soundboard." Blaze takes her left hand and cups Beca's cheek. "Just consider me your soundboard and show me what those fingers can really do." Blaze then slides her hand down Beca's neck and starts moving to her chest. Beca grabs her hands and pushes her away and stands up._

" _No," Beca said. "What the hell is wrong with you? I'm married, and even if I wasn't, the answer would still be no. So whatever ideas you have in your head, get rid of them now."_

" _Come on, Beca," Blaze said stepping toward Beca. "You know you want me. Everybody does."_

" _Oh, God, you're delusional," Beca said. "You need to leave. Now."_

" _Is that what you really want?," Blaze asked, trying to sound seductive._

 _Beca laughed and said, "God, yes. That's exactly what I want you to do. Leave."_

" _This isn't over," Blaze spat out._

" _I'll have your playback for you on Monday," Beca said. "And then I'll hand it over to whoever Khaled chooses as your new producer. Because we are done."_

" _You can't do that," Blaze all but screamed at her._

" _Oh, but I can," Beca said. "Read your fucking contract."_

 _With that Beca sat back down and put her headphones on. She started working on trying to piece together various parts of the many vocal tracks Blaze had done to try and salvage something decent. She ignored Blaze who finally stomped out._

 _Once Beca started working on the track she lost all sense of time. She finally listened to a playback that was pretty good and took her headphones off. She stretched and laid her head down on the soundboard, falling asleep in seconds. She didn't wake up until the custodian had come in to clean the studio._

Beca wiped her face and stood up. It was time to face Chloe. She walked over to their bedroom door and put her hand on the knob. She took a couple of deep breaths, letting them out slowly. She slowly turned the knob. It was locked.

"Shit," Beca muttered and laid her forehead against the locked door. She stepped back, debating whether to knock and see if Chloe was actually awake or going to the guest room. She opted for the guest room.

Beca put her hand on the door like she was trying to reach through it to Chloe. She made a silent promise that she was going to threaten Khaled and the studio with a lawsuit for ordering to go into the studio on a Saturday when her contract clearly stated that she had weekends off. She was also going to insist that Khaled give Blaze to another producer. She stared at her locked bedroom door for a few minutes before finally turning and slowly sliding her hand down the door and turning to make her way to the guest room. She opened the door and flipped on the light switch.

"Fuck!," Beca exclaimed when she saw two suitcases sitting open on the bed. Her clothes were neatly folded and packed inside. She walked over and noticed that her toiletries and makeup bag were sitting on the dresser. Chloe had moved her out of their room, and it didn't look like she was going to be inviting her back in any time soon.

This was definitely not Beca's night, and she was truly and utterly fucked.

* * *

 **Song Used:** _ **Friends**_ **by Anne-Marie**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! I can't believe the reactions to the first chapter. I warned you there would be angst, but in between, there will be some fluff. Just bear with me**.

 **PS - Thanks for the reviews, follows, and faves.**

* * *

Beca had a very restless night and not much sleep. She doesn't know how long she laid there staring at the ceiling before she decided to get up and dressed. Once she was ready, she left the guest room and went into Sophie's room. The young girl was just stirring when Beca walked in. She smiled when she saw Beca.

"Mama," she squealed and jumped out of bed. She ran over to Beca and Beca scooped her up in a hug. "I'm glad you're home."

"Me, too, baby girl," Beca said and kissed Sophie on the cheek. "Why don't you go potty and brush your teeth while I check on Dylan."

"What about mommy?," Sophie asked.

"We're going to let her sleep in," Beca said. "We'll go make pancakes, and you can wake her up when they're ready. How's that sound?"

"Pancakes, yum," Sophie said.

Beca let go of Sophie and left to check on Dylan. He was still sleeping so she let him. She went back to Sophie's room to find her pulling clothes out of a drawer.

"Need some help?," Beca asked.

"Nope," Sophie said. "I got it."

"Okay," Beca said. "I'll be down in the kitchen getting breakfast started."

"Okay," Sophie said and continued doing what she was doing.

Beca smiled and left Sophie's room. She looked at her and Chloe's bedroom door with a heavy sigh before she went downstairs. She went into the kitchen and preheated the oven. She then started gathering the ingredients for the pancakes. The oven was ready, so she put the bacon in and set the timer for twenty minutes. She had just pulled the eggs out of the refrigerator when Sophie came in.

"Can I help make the pancakes?," Sophie asked.

"Absolutely," Beca said.

"Mommy's up," Sophie said as she climbed up onto the stool next to Beca. "She said she'd be down in a few minutes."

"Thanks," Beca said.

Beca was nervous. She knew Chloe was upset with her and she had every right to be. What she didn't know is what was going to happen when she saw Chloe.

"Do you want to help break the eggs?," Beca asked Sophie.

"Yes," Sophie said.

Beca got a small bowl and grabbed an egg. She stood behind Sophie and gave Sophie the egg. She put her hands on Sophie's and helped her crack the egg and put it into the small bowl. They then dumped the egg into the pancake batter. They do the same with a second egg.

"Great job, Soph," Beca said and smiled. "You're getting good at that."

Beca and Sophie have all the ingredients for the batter in the bowl, and Beca is helping Sophie mix the batter.

"Perfect," Beca said. "Let's start cooking."

Beca takes the bowl over to the stove, and Sophie moves her stool so she can help. Beca takes the ladle and hands it to Sophie. "Small scoops remember," Beca told her.

"Got it," Sophie said and lifted the ladle out of the batter and dumped the batter into the heated pan.

"Whoa," Beca laughed as the ladle dripped across the counter. "Let's move the bowl a little closer."

Beca and Sophie were laughing as they watched the pancakes cook. "I see bubbles," Sophie squeals. "Time to flip."

"Let me do that part," Beca said and lifted the first pancake out of the pan.

"Something smells good," Beca hears Chloe say behind her. Beca turns quickly, and the pancake she was flipping slid off the spatula and onto the floor.

"Mama!," Sophie squealed.

Beca blushed. "Sorry, Soph. I'll clean that up as soon as I flip the others so they don't burn."

"I got it," Chloe said and grabbed some paper towels.

"You don't have to do that," Beca said.

"It's okay," Chloe said and continued to clean up the mess.

"Thanks," Beca said and turned back to the stove. She let out a sigh and plated up the pancakes.

Sophie poured more batter into the pan and watched them until they bubbled. Beca flipped them, and the stove's timer went off.

"I'm going to need you to move Sophie," Beca said grabbing some pot holders. "I have to get the bacon out of the oven."

Sophie climbs down and moves away from the stove. Beca moves the stool and gets the bacon out setting it off to the side.

"Okay, Soph," Beca said. "Let's finish up so we can eat."

"Where's Dylan, mommy?," Sophie asked Chloe.

"He's still sleeping," Chloe said. "He had a busy day yesterday. I'll go wake him up since breakfast is ready."

Chloe left the kitchen and Beca set the table and poured coffee for her and Chloe. She poured milk for Sophie and Dylan. She had just sat at the table across from Sophie when Chloe came in carrying Dylan.

"Mama," Dylan said and held his arms out to her.

"Hey, buddy," Beca said standing and taking him from Chloe. "Did you sleep well?"

Dylan squealed and clapped his hands. Beca put him in his high chair. Beca cut up a pancake and added some syrup. She placed it on the tray in front of Dylan. She looked at Chloe who was helping Sophie. Sophie looked at her and smiled; Beca smiled back.

Breakfast was quiet except for the occasional squeal from Dylan or Sophie talking about going to the park. After another bout of silence, Beca spoke up looking at Sophie.

"Hey, Soph," Beca said getting the young girl's attention. "After breakfast I want you and Dylan to go to the family room and watch a movie. Mommy and I need to talk before we go to the park."

Sophie's smile immediately changed to a frown. "Are you going to yell?"

"No," Beca said giving a side glance to Chloe. "But, mommy probably will."

Chloe lets out a little snort at this and Sophie looks at her. "Are you going to yell at mama?"

Before Chloe can respond, Beca jumps in. "Yes, she will. But, it's okay because I deserve it. I promise everything will be okay. Understand?"

Sophie nods her head and looks down at her plate. Beca gets up and kneels next to Sophie. "Soph, look at me please." Sophie looks up at Beca with a tear in her eye. "I know I've broken a lot of promises lately, but that it is one I will not break. Mommy's going to yell at me about all the promises I've broken to you and Dylan, and to her. I deserve to be yelled at for breaking them. But, when the yelling is done, I'll still be here. And so will mommy. I promise that I'm going to be the mama that keeps her promises again. Okay?"

"Okay," Sophie said with a small smile.

"Can I get a hug?," Beca asked, and Sophie threw herself into Beca's arms. Beca tightened her arms around her daughter. "I love you, baby-girl."

"I love you, too, mama," Sophie said.

Beca let go of Sophie and Sophie sat back in her seat. Beca stood and went back to her chair. Breakfast went on as it had before Beca and Sophie's talk. Once everyone had eaten, Beca looked over at Chloe.

"Kids or dishes?," Beca asked.

"I'll take the kids," Chloe responded. She stood and removed Dylan from his high chair. "Come on, Soph. Let's get you guys cleaned up."

"Okay," Sophie said and followed her mother out of the kitchen.

Beca cleared the table and scraped the plates. She decided to hand wash everything to keep her mind from overthinking what she knew was going to be a serious talk with Chloe. She heard Chloe bring the kids downstairs and take them into the family room. After a few minutes, she heard the sound of whatever movie Sophie chose to watch. She finished the dishes and was drying the last plate when Chloe came into the kitchen.

"Would you like some more coffee?," Beca asked.

"Yes, thank you," Chloe responded.

Beca poured them each a fresh cup of coffee. She added cream and sugar to both and handed Chloe hers. Chloe was sitting at the end of the counter, and Beca took the seat to her left.

"Before you say anything, I know I've broken a lot of promises over the past year," Beca said looking down into her coffee cup. She glanced up at Chloe as she continued. "And I know whatever promises I try to make now will sound hollow. But, I want you to know that, although it hasn't seemed like it, you and the kids are my number one priority. And I'm going to talk to a lawyer about Khaled ordering me to go to the studio on Saturday when my contract prohibits that practice. I'm also going to set up meetings with Sony and RCA to discuss options for going to work for one of them."

"Sony and RCA?," Chloe asked.

"Yeah," Beca said. "I've had reps from both putting feelers out about my availability. My contract with Khaled is up soon, and I have to decide if I want to sign with him again."

"Beca, this is all great, but it doesn't change what has already happened," Chloe said. "I could forgive you for everything except yesterday. It was Dylan's first birthday, and you promised you'd be back before the party started. You missed the whole thing."

"I know that," Beca said with tears in her eyes. "It's killing me to know I missed his party. I know that it's my fault because I kept giving in so easily to all the stupid demands of Blaze. I should have come back home when she wasn't in the studio when I got there. I know my apology won't mean anything, but I am truly sorry for missing the party and for breaking so many promises to you and the kids. I'm just so-" Beca sat there as the tears fell. "I'm so tired of hurting you guys."

"Becs," Chloe said quietly. "Look at me please." Beca wipes her face and looks at Chloe. "I love you. The kids love you. I believe you when you say you're sorry. But, I do need you to make me one promise and not break it."

"Whatever you want," Beca said, nodding her head.

"I need you to show me, to show us, that we really are your number one priority," Chloe said. "I'll give you two months, and I want to see a noticeable change in those two months. No working on the weekends, no more broken promises, and no staying at the studio beyond six on weekdays. I know sometimes it can't be helped, so I'll ask that during those times you not stay later than ten o'clock, AND you call or text me that you're going to be late. Can you promise me that?"

"Yes, I can do that," Beca said and took a deep breath and let it out. She put her hand over Chloe's on the counter. "I promise. Thank you. For giving me a chance I probably don't deserve. For not leaving me or taking the kids. I love you all so much."

Chloe reached over and gently wiped the tears from Beca's cheeks using the pads of her thumbs.

"Beca, you screwed up," Chloe said. "It's not something worth leaving the love of my life over."

"I love you," Beca said.

"I love you, too," Chloe said. "I think we'll put the yelling portion of our talk on hold for now until we see how things go. What do you say we keep your promise to the kids and take them to the park?"

"I can't think of anything else I'd rather do," Beca said.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Beca smiled as she sat on the park bench watching Chloe pushing a laughing Dylan on the swings. She was also keeping an eye Sophie who was playing on the slide with some other kids. Her smile faded when she thought back to earlier that day when she went to get Sophie and Dylan to get them ready for the park. Sophie was sitting on the sofa with her hands over her ears.

" _Soph, what's wrong?," Beca asked as she kneeled in front of her daughter and gently pulled her hands away from her ears._

" _I didn't want to hear mommy yelling at you," Sophie said sadly._

" _Oh, sweetie," Beca said and pulled Sophie to her in a hug. "Everything's okay. Mommy didn't yell at me. I'm sorry I scared you by saying she was going to."_

 _She knelt there on the floor with Sophie in her arms long enough that Chloe had come in to see why they weren't upstairs getting ready. Chloe stopped in the doorway and put her hand to her chest when she saw Beca comforting Sophie. Beca looked up and Chloe could see tears in her eyes._

" _She didn't want to hear you yelling at me," Beca told Chloe._

 _Chloe closed the space between them in two strides and wrapped Sophie and Beca into a hug. "I'm sorry, Soph," Chloe said. "Mama and I talked; everything's going to be okay. No yelling. We promise."_

 _Sophie pulled back a bit and looked at her two mothers. "You both promise?"_

" _I promise," Beca said._

" _I promise, too," Chloe said._

" _Okay," Sophie said and smiled. "I know if you both promise it will be okay."_

"Mama! Mama!" Sophie yelling broke Beca out of her thoughts. She quickly looked around to see Sophie on the swings.

"Not too high, Soph," Chloe told her.

Beca walked over and got behind Sophie to keep her from going too high. "Good job, Soph," Beca said when she saw how well Sophie was making the swing move on her own. It was one thing that used to frustrate Sophie.

"I want to stop," Sophie said.

"Stop moving your legs," Beca said and Sophie held them straight out in front of her. She slowed down and Beca timed it so she could grab Sophie around the waist and help her come to a complete stop.

"I got you," Beca said and grabbed Sophie off the swing when it stopped.

Sophie squealed as Beca started tickling her.

"Stop, stop," Sophie told Beca.

"Okay," Beca said. "What's the magic word?"

"Please?," Sophie responded.

"That's correct," Beca said and set Sophie on the ground.

Chloe took Dylan out of the swing and walked over to Beca and Sophie. She gave Beca a quick kiss on the lips, surprising Beca but also making her smile.

"Hey, Chlo," Beca said smiling at the redhead. "Why don't you take Sophie and Dylan home because I want to get some ice cream."

"I want ice cream," Sophie squealed.

"Ice," Dylan squealed.

"You guys want ice cream, too?," Beca asked sounding surprised. "I didn't know you liked ice cream."

"We do," Sophie said seriously. "Can we go to get ice cream with you?"

"Yeah, mama," Chloe said, playing along. "Can't we go and get ice cream, too?"

"I don't know," Beca said acting like she was thinking about it.

"You know what to do, Soph," Chloe leaned down and whispered.

Chloe and Sophie both put on their best pouts and big Bambi eyes. "Pwease, Mama?"

"Put those faces away," Beca said laughing. "Of course we can all get ice cream."

"Yay," Dylan and Sophie squealed.

Beca took Sophie's hand and Chloe took Beca's. Dylan was holding onto Chloe's shirt as he bounced on her hip while they walked. Beca noticed some paparazzi but they were being respectful so she just ignored them. When they got to their car, Beca helped Sophie into her booster seat while Chloe put Dylan in his car seat. They drove to their favorite ice cream shop and went in. A waitress showed them to a table and Beca grabbed a high chair for Dylan.

The waitress took their orders and left the table. Beca looked at Sophie. "Are you excited about starting Kindergarten, Soph?"

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Monday morning found Beca pacing back and forth in her office. Dani knocked and entered.

"Did you get me in to see Khaled today?," Beca asked.

"Yes," Dani said. "His Assistant said he was available in about ten minutes. He has an appointment soon so you'll only have about ten minutes with him."

"Good, good," Beca said.

"Is everything okay?," Dani asked seeing how nervous Beca looked. "Anything I should know about?"

"I promise I'll tell you everything after I talk to Khaled," Beca said.

"Okay," Dani said. "You might want to head up to Khaled's office."

Beca nodded and followed Dani out of her office. She got to Khaled's office and only had to wait a few minutes before she was shown into his office.

"What can I do for you, Beca?," Khaled asked as soon as Beca entered.

"I want to be replaced as the producer for Blaze's album," Beca said. Beca held up her hand to stop Khaled when he started to speak. "AND, I am putting you and the label on notice that if you ever force me to come in on a weekend when my contract strictly prohibits it, I will sue you for breach of contract."

Beca swallowed hard as she watched Khaled process what she just told him.

"Your contract with us is up soon, isn't it?," Khaled asked.

"Yes, it is," Beca said nervously.

"Have you considered whether you wish to renew it?," Khalde asked.

"I've been thinking about it, yes," Beca said thankful that her voice was steady.

"What have you decided?," Khaled asked.

"That all depends on what happens in the next ten minutes," Beca said, standing straighter and feeling more confident.

"Fair enough," Khaled said. "I will have another producer pick up Blaze's album."

"For the record," Beca said. "She's not that good and she walks around like she owns the place. And what other artist is allowed to call you personally? At home? I don't know what possessed you to sign her, but it was a mistake."

"Theo said she had potential," Khaled said. "I'll take a listen to what she's done so far and see where we go from there."

"Good," Beca said.

"As for ordering you to come in over the weekend," Khaled said. He paused and considered his next words. "I apologize. My wife overheard our conversation and reamed me a new one. I shouldn't have given you the ultimatum about coming to the studio or staying home for your kid's party."

"Which I missed entirely by the way," Beca interjected.

"Again, I apologize for all that," Khaled said. "I would like to offer a bump to your salary on your new contract as a good faith measure that it won't happen again."

"Like I said," Beca said. "I haven't made a decision yet. I need to talk it over with Chloe before I do anything."

"Okay," Khaled said. "I would like to continue this conversation but I have to leave for a meeting. May I ask when you might know whether you plan to stay with us?"

"Soon," Beca said. "I've been asked by two other labels if I plan to renew my contract here. I told them both I didn't know and I would make a decision after I saw what all three of you were offering. I am not telling you this as a negotiation tactic. I'm telling you because you took a big chance on me and I do feel some loyalty to you and the label. But this past year has been rough and it has taken a toll on my marriage. My family is my number one priority and I will not let you or anyone else fuck it up. I can do that all on my own."

"Is there anything I can do to help you decide to stay?," Khaled asked.

"Just give me space," Beca said. "I'll give your new offer serious consideration along with the other two labels once I see all the offers in writing."

"I'll get Theo right on it," Khaled said.

"Thank you," Beca said and left the office.

Beca let out a breath as soon as the door to Khaled's office closed behind her. She hurried back to her office and asked Dani to come in with her. Dani grabbed her notepad and a pen and followed Beca into her office.

"How did it go?," Dani asked.

Beca told her about her meeting with Khaled and also about all the stuff that had been happening at home. Dani knew that Beca was in the studio during Dylan's party since she and Jane had attended.

"I need to make a decision," Beca said. "Khaled will be sending me a new contract to read. I will also be looking at offers from Sony and RCA. Both labels approached me to ask about my current situation and have asked me about working for them."

"What are you going to do?," Dani asked.

"I'm going to see what they are all offering and talk to Chloe," Beca said. "In the meantime, there is something I want to ask you."

"What is it?," Dani asked.

"If I choose to go with Sony or RCA," Beca said. "Would you consider going with me? I'll have them put it in my contract that I get to bring you over if that's what you want to do. And, I'll make sure you're taken care of no matter what you decide."

"My immediate answer would be yes," Dani said. "But I should talk to Jane about it. It's a big decision."

"I know," Beca said. "For me, too." Beca stared down at the carpet for a moment. "I have a few things to get through. We can talk once I know what I'm doing. Okay?"

"Okay," Dani said and went back to her desk.

Beca responded to some emails and made calls to the Sony and RCA reps to ask about getting something in writing. They were both going to courier her their offers before the week was over. Beca finally sat back feeling satisfied. She checked the time and it was 11:20. She checked her schedule and her afternoon was free. She gathered her stuff and walked out to Dani's desk.

"I'm going home," Beca said. "You should take the rest of the day off, too."

"Seriously?," Dani asked.

"Seriously," Beca said. "I don't have anything on my schedule for the rest of the day, so let's go home."

"Thanks, Beca," Dani said and started gathering her stuff to leave.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Beca left the studio and decided to grab some lunch to take home for Chloe and the kids. She sent a quick text to Chloe telling her she was bringing food home so Chloe wouldn't make anything. She goes to the little diner they all love and ordered some food for takeout. When the order was ready, she hurried out and jumped in her car.

Beca checked her phone before she started the car. Chloe hadn't texted her back but she wasn't too worried as she figured Chloe was busy with the kids.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Beca entered the house and heard Sophie and Dylan's giggles coming from the family room. She quietly walked into the family room to surprise them expecting to see Chloe with them. When she made it to the door, she was the one surprised because sitting there on the sofa with Sophie and Dylan was Fat Amy.

"Ames?," Beca said causing the blonde Aussie to look up.

"Oh, hey Beca," Amy said. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Mama," Sophie squealed and ran to Beca.

"Hey, baby girl," Becs said as she scooped her up and kissed her cheek. "Where's mommy?"

"She's at lunch with her special friend," Sophie said playing with Beca's hair.

"I'm sorry," Beca said looking at Amy, a bit confused. "Her special friend?"

"Yeah, I don't know," Amy said. "Chloe just asked if I could watch the munchkins for a couple of hours."

"I see," Beca said. "Well, I brought lunch as a surprise. Do you want to eat with us?"

"Sounds good," Amy said. "I was just wondering what to fix."

"I guess I made it just in time then," Beca said.

Beca set out the food she brought home and she sat and ate with Amy and the kids. After they had eaten, Beca cleaned up.

"Did Chloe say what time she'd be home?," Beca asked.

"No," Amy said. "Just said she'd be gone a couple of hours."

"What time did she leave?," Beca asked.

"About 11:30," Amy said.

Beca checked her phone to see that is was 1:00 and still no message from Chloe.

"Well, Ames, I'm home for the rest of the day so you can go if you want," Beca said.

"I do have plans later," Amy said. "I can go home and rest up before my date." Amy went into the family room. "Come and give Aunt Amy hugs goodbye, munchkin."

Sophie went to Amy and hugged her. Amy went over to Dylan and kissed the top of his head. She gathered up her stuff and Beca walked her to the door.

"Thanks for babysitting, Amy," Beca said as she held the door open.

"No worries, Beca," Amy said. "I'll see you later."

Beca closed the door and stood there with furrowed brows. "Who the hell is this _special friend_ of Chloe's?," Beca asks herself. "And why hasn't she at least texted me back?"

Beca decides to send another text and pulls out her phone.

Beca [12:45 pm] _Hey, where are you? Can you talk? Nothing's wrong; just some work stuff I need to talk to you about. Love you._

Beca reads the text a couple of times before pressing send. She puts her phone in her pocket and goes into the family room.

"I'm going to put Dylan down for his nap, Soph," Beca said as she picked him up. "I'll be back in a few minutes. You stay in here until I get back. Okay?"

"Okay, mama," Sophie responded.

Beca carries a half-asleep Dylan up to his room. She changes his diaper and lays him in his bed. She stayed with him until he was fully asleep. She couldn't stop thinking about who Chloe could be having lunch with. If it were Aubrey or even Stacie, she would have told Amy. Maybe it was a parent from Chloe's school or a teacher. But, Chloe always tells her about the people she meets.

Beca sees that Dylan is sleeping so she grabs the monitor and heads back downstairs. She feels her phone buzz in her pocket and checks it. It is a text from Chloe.

Chloe [1:15 pm] _I'm doing some shopping. Can it wait until you get home?_

"Shopping?," Beca thought to herself. "I thought Sophie said she was having lunch with someone. But Amy said Chloe told her she'd be home in a couple of hours. Maybe Sophie was confused."

Beca [1:16 pm] _Yeah, that's fine. Have fun shopping. I'll see you at home._

Beca went into the family room and sat next to Sophie. She watched the movie Sophie had on for a few minutes. She knew she trusted Chloe but something just wasn't sitting right with her. Beca knew she shouldn't but decided to ask Sophie to see if she could clear things up.

"Hey, Soph," Bec said. "Did you say that mommy went to lunch? I thought she went shopping."

"I don't know," Sophie said. "I heard her talking on the phone and she said something about lunch. Then she told me Aunt Amy was coming over while she had lunch with a friend."

And as children are wont to do, she doesn't provide any more information.

"Do you know this friend?," Beca asked.

"I think she was talking to Ally's dad," Sophie said. "They have lunch a lot."

"Ally? Dad?," Beca thought.

"Who is Ally?," Beca asked. "Where did you meet her?"

"She's my new friend," Sophie said. "We were at the park and mommy saw her special friend and Ally was with him."

"So, mommy knew this special friend when you saw them?," Beca asked.

"Yeah," Sophie said.

"Why do you call him mommy's special friend?," Beca asked.

"Because that's what she called him when she told me not to tell you we saw him," Sophie said.

Beca's heart dropped into her stomach. Who the hell is this guy?

"Am I in trouble because I told you?," Sophie asked looking sad.

"No, baby," Beca said. "It's okay. Can you tell me mommy's friend's name?," Beca asked.

"Mommy called him Chicago," Sophie said.


	3. Chapter 3

**First, thanks for all the reviews to the last chapter. Second, why is it that whenever a marriage is 'in jeopardy' that everyone automatically assumes cheating is the reason? Oh, wait, I kind of wrote it to seem that way, but is it really? Hmmm, keep reading to find out. (Sorry, I'm feeling a little evil today).**

* * *

" _Mommy called him Chicago," Sophie said._

The phrase kept repeating over and over in Beca's head as she sat on the sofa trying to think. Chicago? The same guy Chloe was crushing on back when the Bellas did the USO Tour? The same Chicago Chloe told her she felt nothing for after she kissed him? _She kissed him_. And now she's having lunch with him. Without telling Beca he's around. Shit!

Dylan woke from his nap around 2:45 and Beca went to get him from his room. She checked her phone as she walked up the stairs. It had been almost two hours since Chloe said she'd be home 'in a bit' and she still wasn't there.

Chloe came home while Beca was still in Dylan's room. She heard Sophie in the family room.

"Hey, Soph," Chloe said. "Where's Aunt Amy?"

"She left," Sophie said hugging Chloe.

"What do you mean she left?," Chloe asked suddenly panicked. "Where's Dylan?" Chloe hurrying toward the door as she asked. Anxious to check on Dylan and make sure he was alright. She'd be having a serious talk with Amy about leaving her kids alone.

"He's with mama," Sophie said.

"Mama's home?," she asked feeling relieved.

"Yeah," Sophie said. "Dylan woke up and mama went to get him."

Beca came down the steps just as Chloe was walking towards them. She kept telling herself not to overreact and let Chloe tell her about having lunch with Chicago.

"Hey, Sophie just told me you were home," Chloe said and kissed Beca on the cheek. "And there's my big boy."

Chloe took Dylan from Beca and kissed his cheek. She then wiped his face with her hand.

"How was shopping?," Beca asked as she walked past Chloe heading for the kitchen.

"Lousy," Chloe said and followed Beca. "I didn't find anything I wanted."

"Really?," Beca asked as she pulled out a bottle of water. She held it up to Chloe who shook her head. "You never come home empty-handed."

Beca opened the bottle of water and took a long drink, all the while keeping her eyes on Chloe.

"Just wasn't my day, I guess," Chloe said. She looked at Beca with furrowed brows. "You're home early. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Beca said. "After my meeting with Khaled my afternoon was wide open, so I thought I'd surprise you with lunch. Guess the surprise was on me."

"I'm sorry I missed it," Chloe said. "I wish I had known sooner. I would rather have had lunch with you guys. Isn't that right, Dyl?" Chloe started tickling Dylan.

"Could you put Dylan in the family room with Sophie?," Beca asked as she played with the water bottle in her hand.

"Something is wrong, isn't it?," Chloe asked.

"I just need to talk to you without any distractions," Beca said. Chloe couldn't read Beca's face, so she knew something was up.

"Okay," Chloe said. "I'll be right back."

Chloe left the kitchen, and Beca put her hands on the counter and tried to relax. She trusted Chloe, she really did. But, she has to wonder why Chloe hasn't told her about seeing Chicago. And having a 3-hour lunch with him.

Chloe came back into the kitchen and saw Beca standing with her hands on the counter looking tense. She walked over and rubbed her hand up and down Beca's back.

"Hey, what's wrong?," Chloe asked. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," Beca said. She moved away from Chloe causing Chloe's hand to drop. Beca turned so she was standing with one of the counter stools between them. She was facing Chloe with her hip against the counter. "Just have a lot on my mind."

"Like what?," Chloe asked and sat on the stool next to Beca. Chloe put her hands on Beca's hips and looked up at her. Beca remained still.

"Well, I talked to Khaled today," Beca said. "He agreed to find another producer for Blaze, and he apologized for forcing me to go the studio on Saturday. He also asked about renewing my contract."

"That's good," Chloe said. "Right?"

"Maybe," Beca said. "I haven't committed to signing with him though. I'm waiting to see what RCA and Sony offer before I decide."

"That's great, Beca," Chloe said and wrapped her arms around Beca's waist to pull her into a hug. Chloe felt Beca tense and pulled back to look at her again. "What's wrong?"

"If I go with Sony or RCA," Beca said. "I may have to work long hours to prove myself again. Which means I will probably also have to work on some weekends; a lot of weekends in the beginning. If I take one of their offers, I'll have to break the one promise you asked me to keep to show I'm committed to putting you and the kids first."

Beca ran her hands through her hair. She was thinking that if Chloe said it was okay to go with the other labels, that she wanted Beca out of the way so she could keep seeing Chicago behind her back. She stepped out of Chloe's grasp and moved to stand at the end of the counter. She waited to see if Chloe was going to say anything.

Chloe furrowed her brow. Beca usually moved into Chloe's embrace when she was worried. Something else was going; Chloe wasn't sure what it was. She decided to focus on what Beca had said and thought about her response.

"You've already won a couple of Grammys so you shouldn't have to do too much to prove yourself, babe," Chloe said. "But, I hear what you're saying and I hate the idea of you continuing to work long hours and weekends. But, I also think you should take whatever offer is best for you. We'll just have to figure out some sort of compromise so things don't get as bad as they did this past year. I love you, Beca, and I'll stand by you no matter what you decide to do."

Beca looked at her. Stared into her eyes and wondered what it was she was seeing in them. Chloe seemed sincere in her words, but she couldn't get past Sophie calling Chicago 'mommy's special friend' and Chloe telling Sophie not to tell her about him.

"How was lunch?," Beca asked, surprised at herself.

"What?," Chloe asked confused by the sudden shift in conversation.

"How was lunch?," Beca asked again.

"It was fine," Chloe said.

"Just fine?," Beca asked and studied Chloe's face. "What? The company not good? Did Chicago chew with his mouth open?" Beca's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "I know how much you hate that."

Chloe shook her head and let out a sarcastic laugh. She looked down at the counter. Beca reached over and put her hand under Chloe's chin forcing her head up to look at her.

"You're asking about him now?," Chloe asked, jerking her chin away from Beca's grip.

"What's that supposed to mean?," Beca asked, her voice rising.

"I told you a couple of times about Chicago being in L.A. and running into him," Chloe said, her voice also rising. "But I guess whatever was going on at the studio was more important to you. And you ignored Sophie when she tried to tell you about her new friend, Ally, who happens to be Chicago's daughter. So, why the sudden interest in who I have lunch with?"

"Because Sophie said you were having lunch with a 'special friend'," Beca snapped back. "And she also said you told her not to tell me about him. How special a friend is he?"

"I'm not cheating on you if that's what you're asking," Chloe said. "Sophie's the one who gave him that title. She calls Ally and Chicago our 'special friends' because we don't get to see them that often. As for telling her not to tell you, what I told her was that you were too busy to hear about Ally and Chicago and that maybe she shouldn't talk about them since you weren't listening to her. It upset her when you ignored her. She's five, I guess I should have explained it better."

"How long have you been seeing him without telling me?," Beca asked.

"Oh, my God! You're still not listening," Chloe said shaking her head. "I did tell you about him. Think back about six months. We had an entire conversation about him. Or I should say I was having a conversation with you and told you about him. But again, I guess you were thinking about the studio or Blaze or whatever."

"I don't remember you telling me about seeing him," Beca said.

"Good to know you pay attention when I talk to you," Chloe said bitterly. "You want to know everything now? Fine. I'll tell you. Chicago and I are friends. We ran into each other at the park on yet another day that you broke your promise to the kids about taking them. He was there with his daughter."

Beca looked at her but doesn't say anything. This was not exactly how she was expecting this conversation to go.

"Sophie and Ally started playing together and became friends," Chloe continued. "Chicago is still in the military and doesn't get to see Ally as much as he'd like, but he knows that she and Sophie are friends so he would ask if they could have playdates whenever he had her. And, after a while, in addition to playdates, we would meet for coffee or lunch. It didn't happen as often as Ally and Sophie wanted, but we did it as often as we could. During the few times we had coffee or lunch, we talked about our families, our work, our significant others. He's in love with Ally's mom, Sarah, but said she doesn't feel the same way about him. Ally was born after Chicago and Sarah had a brief fling. Sarah moved with Ally to L.A. and Chicago requested a transfer to be close to her. When we saw him, he hadn't been here long and didn't really know anyone. He needed a friend and I needed someone to talk to about you. Someone who didn't know us as a couple. He listened and gave me advice about you, and I listened to him and gave him advice about Sarah. What else do you want to know?"

"Why were you having lunch with him today?," Beca asked. "Just the two of you? For three hours?"

"He asked me to meet him because he wanted to talk about Sarah," Chloe responded. "He wanted my opinion on how to ask her out. As for the three hours you mention, I was at lunch for only one hour. The other two hours I was actually out shopping looking for your birthday present.

Beca's shoulders sagged and she put her elbows on the counter. She ran her hands through her hair and rested her head on them.

"Why didn't you mention him in the past six months?," Beca asked.

"You keep asking the same question and the answer is going to always be the same: I did tell you," Chloe said her frustration growing. "And, Sophie did as well when she talked about Ally. I guess I should have known better than to try and talk to you about anything that didn't relate to the studio."

"That's not fair," Beca said quietly.

"How is it not?," Chloe asked, her voice sounding defeated. "I tried so many times to talk to you about things, including Chicago, and you had to run off to the studio. Or you were busy texting Blaze, or whoever, that you never heard what I was saying. This is why I had you make me that promise. Because we need to get back to where we were a year ago, or-" Chloe stopped talking and looked down at the floor.

"Or what?," Beca asked. "You're going to leave me? I already promised that I was going to try harder. What more do you want from me?"

"I want you to _want_ to try harder," Chloe said. "I am sorry you got upset about Chicago, but I did tell you about him, so I'm not going to feel guilty about it. After I told you, I just figured you didn't care about me being friends with him since you never said anything. Again, I should have known your work was the only thing you were thinking about. That's on me." Chloe looked at Beca teary-eyed. She let out a breath. "I just love you so much, and sometimes I feel like you don't love me as much as you used to. We haven't had a date night in almost a year. We haven't been intimate in almost as long. What can I do to make you love me the way you used to?"

At this point, Chloe is sobbing. Beca hurries over to her and pulls her into her arms.

"I do love you, Chloe," Beca said, letting her own tears fall unchecked. "I love you so, so much. Please don't ever doubt that."

Beca's phone pinged with a text notification. She ignored it. She continued to hold Chloe as she cried. After a few minutes, Chloe sobs subsided and Beca pulled back and took Chloe's face in her hands. She looked at Chloe and leaned in and kissed her. It was short and felt desperate, but Beca put as much love into it as she could. She pulled back and stared into Chloe's eyes.

Beca opened her mouth to say something when her phone pinged again. She looked down at the pocket her phone was in and back up to Chloe.

"Answer it," Chloe said with a resigned sigh and walked away from Beca.

"Shit," Beca mumbled. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and read the two messages. They were both from Khaled telling her she needed to get to the studio for an emergency meeting. Beca stood reading the texts over and over. She didn't know what to do. On the one hand, she needed to stay to show Chloe that she was all in and finish their talk; but on the other, Khaled doesn't usually call an emergency meeting unless it was something big.

Beca went to find Chloe. She found her in the family room playing with Dylan while Sophie was watching a movie.

"Chlo," Beca said to get her attention, but Chloe didn't even look at her. "Khaled's called an emergency meeting."

"Go," Chloe said without looking at Beca.

"Chlo, please," Beca begged. "It's-."

"I know," Chloe interrupted, this time turning to look at her. "It's your job."

Chloe turned away and continued playing with Dylan. Beca sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She looked at Chloe one more time and Chloe wouldn't look at her. She walked over and kissed Sophie and Dylan on the tops of their heads.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Beca said and kissed Chloe on the top of her head and left. Choe let the tears fall as she heard the front door close.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Beca had been gone for over an hour when Chloe called Aubrey and asked if she and Stacie could come over.

"What happened?," Aubrey asked. "Is everything okay?"

" _What's going on, babe?,"_ Chloe heard Stacie asking in the background.

" _Chloe asked if we could come over,"_ Chloe can hear Aubrey telling Stacie. _"She sounds upset."_

" _Tell her we're on our way,"_ Chloe heard Stacie say.

"We'll there in about 20 minutes," Aubrey told Chloe.

"Thank you," Chloe said softly and ended the call.

About thirty minutes later there was a knock at the door.

"Thanks for coming, guys," Chloe said as she answered the door to Aubrey and Stacie.

"Bella! Maddie!," Sophie squealed when she saw the girls at the door. She ran over and hugged them both.

"Soph, why don't you take Bella and Maddie into the family room to watch a movie?" Stacie said.

"Okay," Sophie said and grabbed the girls' hands and led them to the family room.

The three adults watched until the girls were out of sight and Stacie turned to Chloe.

"So, what happened?," Stacie asked as Chloe led them to the living room.

Chloe sat on the sofa and Aubrey sat next to her. Stacie remained standing with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I think my marriage may be over," Chloe said and started crying again.

Aubrey pulled her into a hug. "What happened?"

Chloe wiped her eyes and through her tears told them everything that happened since she got home. She told them everything she and Beca had said to each other.

"And she left," Chloe said. "Nothing's changed."

"Chloe," Stacie said. "You have to give Beca a break here. You said Khaled called an emergency meeting. I don't think she had the option of not going."

"I know that," Chloe said. "But, it's not just that. She got mad at me for not telling her about Chicago even though I did tell her a few times about seeing him. But I guess she was so checked out it never registered with her. I didn't know until she asked about him today that she never really heard me tell her about him. I thought she was paying attention but I guess I was deluding myself. It's like she just doesn't see me. It makes me wonder how many other important things I told went in one ear and out the other."

"Why did you say you think your marriage might be over?," Aubrey asked.

"Because I feel like she doesn't really love me anymore," Chloe said as the tears fell.

"Come on, Chlo," Stacie said sitting on the table in front of Chloe. "This is Beca. Of course, she still loves you. I know you both felt like you didn't realize your feelings for each other until the USO Tour, but you two had been dancing around each other since Beca's Freshman year. We all saw it. Your love is one for the ages. Give her the two months you promised her. Let her show you that she's trying to fix things."

All three women sat there silently as Chloe's thoughts were all over the place. She finally wiped the tears from her face and gave Aubrey and Stacie a small smile.

"You're right," Chloe said. "I'm being silly. I need to give her a chance. We were having a really good talk and I thought we were connecting again. But then she got that work text and we were back to square one. I'll try and talk to her again when she gets home." Chloe wiped the residual tears from her face. "God, I'm such a mess. I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I need to talk to Beca and do it when there won't be any interruptions or distractions."

"Good," Stacie said. "Now, let's order pizza. It's almost dinner time, and I know the kids must be hungry."

"Sounds good," Chloe said. Stacie pulled out her phone to place their order.

"I'm going to text Beca," Chloe said. "And apologize for the way I acted toward her before she left. Ask her if we can talk more when she gets home."

"I think that's a good idea," Aubrey said as Chloe was pulling her phone out of her pocket.

Chloe wrote the text and hit send. She smiled and looked at Aubrey. "Done."

"Good," Aubrey said. "So, why haven't I heard about Chicago being around?"

Chloe looked at her. "I don't know," she said. "I wasn't hiding the fact that I'd seen him. Plus, we've only seen him and Ally about a dozen times in the past six months. I guess whenever you and I got together we became _those_ moms. You know. The ones who when they get together all they talk about are the kids, or how expensive groceries are, or whatever sale there was for kids clothes. Or complain about their spouses."

"Oh, my God," Aubrey said with a laugh. "You're right. We need to restart our bi-weekly lunch dates. And have more adult conversations."

"Pizza should be here in thirty minutes," Stacie said as she put her phone away.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Beca sat at in her car with her elbows on the steering wheel and her head in her hands. After the initial meeting, Khaled had asked her to stay behind. She sat in his office and he offered her the opportunity of a lifetime and she was stunned. It was her dream job, but she was afraid that if she took it, her marriage could be over.

Beca doesn't know how long she had been sitting there when her phone pinged with a text notification. She picked up her phone and saw the message was from Chloe. She opened it up and read the message.

Chloe [5:45 pm]: _I'm sorry for being upset when you left. I love you and I hope we can continue our talk when you get home. Be safe._

Beca smiled and text Chloe back.

Beca [6:10 pm]: _I'm sorry I left. We will talk when I get home. I'm leaving now. I love you too and see you soon._

Beca started the car and her phone pinged with another text. She smiled again to see it was from Chloe.

Chloe [6:11 pm]: _Better hurry. Pizza's here and everyone's hungry._

Chloe [612 pm]: _Don't worry I promise to save you a slice. Love you._

Beca drove home, arriving about 20 minutes later. She parked and took a deep breath before getting out of the car and going inside.

"Mama!," Sophie yelled as soon as she saw her.

Beca smiled and knelt down to catch Sophie as she ran to her open arms. "Hey, baby-girl," Beca said and stood up with Sophie in her arms.

Beca walked over to where everyone was eating pizza and smiled at Chloe. Chloe smiled back and held a plate out to here. "I managed to save you two slices," Chloe said with a laugh.

"Thanks, babe," Beca said as she set Sophie down and reached for the plate.

Sophie went back to her seat on the floor next to Bella and Maddie. Chloe moved over so there was room for Beca to sit next to her on the sofa.

"Do we get to hear what the emergency meeting was about?," Stacie asked. "Last time it was you getting promoted."

"I can't really say anything about it right now," Beca said. "At least not until I talk to Chloe about it."

Seeing how tense Beca was, Chloe rubbed her hand up and down Beca's back. "Is everything okay?," Chloe whispered to Beca.

"Um, yes and no," Beca said. "We'll talk later."

"Okay," Chloe said and kissed Beca's temple.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Aubrey and Stacie were getting the girls ready to go home when Chloe's phone pinged with a text notification. She pulled out her phone and saw it was a text from Chicago.

"Oh, my God," Chloe squealed. "She said yes."

"Who said yes?," Aubrey asked.

"Sarah," Chloe said. "Chicago asked her out on a date and she said yes! I'm so happy for him."

"That's great," Stacie said. "Do you think she'll change her mind about wanting to marry him?"

"That's the plan," Chloe said with a laugh.

"You didn't have anything to do with him asking her out did you?," Aubrey asked.

"I may have suggested he try," Chloe said with a proud smile. "He said Sarah didn't love him, but I think Sarah was scared to marry him because he is in the military. She doesn't know when he may be deployed or reassigned. I think him asking to be transferred so he could be near Ally showed her he was willing to do whatever it takes to be there for her."

"Tell him I said congratulations and not to mess it up," Beca said.

Chloe looked at her and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you."

"For what?," Beca asked pulling Chloe tighter to her.

"For not freaking out because Chicago texted me," Chloe said.

"I'm glad you befriended him," Beca said. "Maybe if things go well with him and Sarah, we can invite them over for dinner. I should probably get to know your friends." Beca pulled back slightly to whisper in Chloe's ear. "I'm sorry I freaked out about him earlier. It was just my insecurities and guilt taking over my common sense."

"I love you," Chloe said.

"I love you, too," Beca responded.

"Okay, you two," Stacie said. "Both hands where I can see them."

"Haha, Stace," Beca said.

Aubrey and Stacie leave and Chloe put Dylan to bed. Beca was sitting in the family room watching a movie with Sophie when Chloe came back. She joined them on the sofa and snuggled up next to Beca. After a while, it was Sophie's bedtime and Beca tucked her in. Beca read a book with Sophie before she settled down and went to sleep. Beca kissed her on the cheek and left the room.

Beca found Chloe sitting at the kitchen counter with two glasses of wine when she came back downstairs. Beca sat and took a sip of her wine.

"I want to apologize again for shutting down earlier when Khaled texted you about the meeting," Chloe said. "I know you had no choice and I should have handled it better."

"I'm sorry, too," Beca said. "I'm sorry we had to cut our conversation and that kiss short. I felt like we were on the right track to becoming Bhloe again."

Chloe laughed and slapped Beca's arm. She took Beca's hand that was on top of the counter and intertwined their fingers. "So, tell me about the meeting."

"It was surprising, to say the least," Beca said. "Khaled fired Theo."

"What?," Chloe said her mouth opened in surprise.

"That was pretty much everyone's response," Beca said. "Theo told Khaled he needed to sign Blaze because she was 'quite good'. I never saw it and told Khaled as much earlier today. Anyway, it turns out Theo had been sleeping with Blaze and she threatened to have him arrested for sexual assault if she didn't get a record deal."

"Are you serious?," Chloe asked still somewhat in shock.

"Yep," Beca said. "But there's more. Blaze is eighteen, which is the legal age of consent in California. However, her parents threatened to sue the label and have Theo arrested because according to Blaze the first time they had sex was two days before her eighteenth birthday."

"Oh, my God," Chloe said. "And, also, ew. Theo's like 35 or 36, right?" Beca nodded. "What is he doing with an 18-year-old?"

"I don't know," Beca said. "Personally, I think Blaze set him up. I think she knew who he was and used her body to extort a recording contract. Oh, and it goes without saying that Khaled voided her contract and got rid of her, too. I swear, the first afternoon I take off in over a year and I miss all the fireworks."

"Wow," Chloe said. She saw the way Beca was staring into her wine. She squeezed Beca's hand and asked, "What else is going on?"

"Well, it's kind of good news actually," Beca said. "Khaled was planning to open a sort of satellite studio and have Theo run it. And now that Theo is gone, he needs someone to take his place."

"Let me guess," Chloe said. "That someone is you?"

"Yeah," Beca said.

"Sounds pretty impressive," Chloe said.

"Job of a lifetime," Beca said.

"Sounds like you really want it," Chloe said.

"Like I said," Beca said. "It's the job of a lifetime."

Chloe rubbed her thumb over Beca's hand. She knew there was more to this and was waiting for Beca to continue. She could see Beca's mind working, trying to figure out what to say.

"You know I'll support whatever you decide to do," Chloe finally spoke. "I'm really proud that Khaled thinks you can handle running a studio."

"Thank you," Beca said looking at Chloe. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Chloe said. "I can tell there's something more you're not telling me. What is it?"

"Khaled gave me until next Friday to decide if I'm taking the job," Beca said. "The studio is ready to start operating and he doesn't want it sitting idle for too long. He already has several acts ready to use it."

"So, what's the problem?," Chloe asked. "Are you waiting to see what Sony and RCA are offering?"

"Not really," Beca said honestly. "More like trying to figure out how to make Khaled's offer work for us."

"So, let me ask you again," Chloe said. "What aren't you telling me?"

Beca took a deep breath and said, "The new studio is in New Orleans."


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry I've been MIA. I had a family emergency that took me away from home for a while and I only had my phone, so I couldn't do too much.**

 **For those who are complaining that something is "fishy" with Chloe's story about Chicago and that she is cheating on Beca, I apologize. As the writer, I should have been clearer in the explanation so that cheating was ruled out as the reason behind the marriage troubles. My bad.**

* * *

Tuesday was an unproductive day for Beca. She spent most of the day sitting in her office thinking about New Orleans and what it would mean for her. It was a really great opportunity but she couldn't wrap her head around having to move. Moving to L.A. and becoming a music producer had been her dream since she was fourteen years old. She also dreamed of being married with a couple of kids. Although, in that particular dream she was definitely not married to a Chloe. But, that was a dream she didn't even know she had until she heard the words _I Love You, Beca_ come out of Chloe's mouth. Now she's living in L.A. as a music producer, married to one of the hottest people she knows and has a couple of kids. She's fulfilling her dreams.

"I'll make a pros and cons list," Beca thought to herself. She grabbed a notepad and a pen and made two columns on the paper. She spent the next several hours working on the list only to have one item under each column. "That didn't help at all," Beca thought.

That night was relatively quiet at home. Beca and Chloe were both lost in their own thoughts about moving to New Orleans. They went to bed, and neither one wanted to discuss the move, so they just snuggled together and went to sleep.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Chloe woke up early Wednesday morning to an empty bed. She ran her hands over the sheets where Beca would be lying and found them cold. She knew this meant that Beca had been up for a while. They had gone to bed without really talking about Beca's job offer or New Orleans. She knew Beca would be thinking about it and couldn't sleep. She got up and went looking for her wife. She found her in the kitchen asleep with her head on the counter using her arms as a pillow.

"Beca," Chloe softly said as she sat next to Beca and rubbed her hand up and down Beca's back. "Come on, babe. Why don't you come back to bed?"

Beca mumbled and picked her head up from the counter and looked over at Chloe. "Hey," she said, voice raspy from sleep.

"Hey, yourself," Chloe said. "What time did you come down here?"

"I don't know," Beca said and stretched. "I couldn't sleep, so I came down here to think."

"Were you thinking about New Orleans?," Chloe asked.

"Yeah," Beca said. "I don't know what to do. I mean it's a major step forward in my career, but I can't decide if it's right for me at this point."

"You always said you wanted to have your own studio someday," Chloe said.

"That's true," Beca said. "But this won't be my studio. I'll just be running it for Khaled."

"I've been thinking, too," Chloe said. "I, I have to be honest with you, Becs. I don't want to move to New Orleans. We have a good life already established here. I have a job here that I love. This house is the only home Dylan and Sophie have known. Our best friends are here. Sophie's best friends are." Chloe took a breath and let it out. "Maybe it's selfish of me; I don't know. I do love and support you, I really do. And, I know I said I would stand behind whatever decision you made, but that was when you were talking about jobs here in L.A. I'm sorry, but I don't want us to have to move to New Orleans."

Chloe had tears in her eyes when she finished.

"I know," Beca said. "I appreciate your honesty. I understand, and I agree with most of what you said. I'm not going to decide anything until I see what Sony and RCA offer. I have a feeling if I decline Khaled's offer of New Orleans, there won't be an offer to stay with his studio here in L.A."

"I'm so sorry, Beca," Chloe said and wrapped her arms around her. The tears fell harder. "I know I should be encouraging you to keep moving forward in your career and taking the New Orleans job. I also believe that you will be great at it. It's just. I'm worried about what it might do to us."

"Let's go to bed," Beca said. "I'm exhausted, and there's too much to think about. Plus, the kids will be up in a couple of hours."

Chloe didn't say anything. She wiped her eyes as she got up and walked out of the kitchen with Beca following behind. They got to their bedroom and laid on their bed. Beca pulled Chloe close to her and Chloe started crying as Beca held her.

"Please don't hate me," Chloe said through her tears. "I couldn't stand it if you hated me."

"God, Chloe," Beca said. "I could never hate you. I love living in L.A., too. I'll figure something out, and everything will be okay. I promise."

Beca held Chloe until her cries turned into sniffles and she finally fell asleep. Beca laid there in the dark her mind racing. The job in New Orleans is a great offer, but it wouldn't be worth much if she took it and Chloe was miserable. Beca finally fell asleep only to be awakened by her alarm what seemed like minutes later. Chloe stirred and hugged Beca to her.

"Good morning," Beca said, hugging Chloe tight.

"Good morning," Chloe said. "You get in the shower, and I'll make you breakfast before you go to work."

"Thanks, babe," Beca said. She leaned down and kissed Chloe. Chloe returned the kiss, and things were starting to heat up when they heard the patter of little feet coming towards their room. "Rain check?," Beca asked.

"Definitely," Chloe said with a sigh as they separated and got out of bed.

Chloe opened the door just as Sophie knocked. "Mommy!," Sophie squealed. "It's morning."

"I know," Chloe said. "Let's go make mama's breakfast while she's in the shower."

"Okay," Sophie said and grabbed Chloe's hand.

Mother and daughter went to the kitchen. Sophie climbed on a stool while Chloe got the bacon and eggs out of the refrigerator.

"Can I help break the eggs?," Sophie asked.

"Of course," Chloe said. "Let me get the bacon in the oven, and we'll make scrambled eggs."

"Cause that's the way mama likes them," Sophie added.

"Yep," Chloe said with a smile.

She put the bacon on the sheet pan and popped it into the oven. She grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and set it in front of Sophie. She grabbed some milk and a whisk and placed those on the counter.

"Ready, Soph?," Chloe asked looking down at the smaller redhead.

"Ready," Sophie said.

Chloe stood behind Sophie kneeling on the stool and helped her break three eggs into the bowl. She poured a little milk into the eggs and handed Sophie the whisk. Chloe held Sophie's hand while she broke the yolks and whipped the eggs.

"These look good," Chloe said and took the whisk to the sink. "Move your stool, and you can help me cook them."

"Okay," Sophie said and did as Chloe said.

Chloe grabbed a skillet and set it on the stove. She grabbed the bowl with the eggs. She then got a wooden spoon from the holder and handed it to Sophie. Chloe slowly dumped the eggs into the pan.

Beca came in while Sophie was stirring the eggs. She hugged Sophie from behind and kissed her on the cheek.

"Smells good in here," Beca said.

"We're making you breakfast," Sophie said. The oven timer went off. "Bacon's ready."

Sophie moved the stool out of the way so Chloe could get the bacon. "Hurry, mommy, I have to stir the eggs."

"Yes, ma'am," Chloe said with a laugh.

Chloe pulled the pan out of the oven and set it the counter. Sophie moved her stool back into position and returned to the eggs.

"The eggs are ready," Sophie said after a moment.

Chloe heard Dylan through the monitor and asked Beca to get the food plated while she got Dylan. Beca got the plates and started dishing up the food while Sophie moved the step stool out of the way. Beca had just finished pouring everyone's juice when Chloe came in with Dylan. She put him in his high chair and sat down to eat with her family.

Beca leaned over and kissed Dylan causing him to giggle. She helped him with his sippy cup and wiped his mouth.

"Mama, do you have to work on Saturday?," Sophie asked.

"Nope," Beca said, shaking her head.

"Can you go take us to the zoo?," Sophie asked as she took a bite of her bacon.

Chloe looked at Beca and saw her smile at Sophie.

"I think that sounds like a great idea," Beca said. "What do you say, mommy? Want to go with us to the zoo on Saturday?"

"I'd love to," Chloe said.

Sophie squealed and clapped, which caused Dylan to squeal and clap. Beca joined in squealing and clapping as well. Chloe sat back and watched her wife and kids being silly. Silly family times like this are what she missed the most. She thought of something as she sat watching Beca making faces at Dylan causing him to giggle.

"What are you doing for lunch today?," Chloe asked Beca.

"I don't know," Beca said. "I want to meet with Khaled to find out what's he doing about the artists Theo was working with. Plus, I want to get more details about the New Orleans job."

"What's that?," Sophie asked.

"New Orleans is a place," Beca said. "A place in Louisiana where mama's been offered a job."

"Oh," Sophie said and continued eating her breakfast.

"Would you like for us to come to the studio and have lunch with you?," Chloe suddenly asked Beca. "I can stop and pick something up on the way."

"I'd love that," Beca said with a smile. She checked her phone to make sure she didn't have anything scheduled to get in the way and saw the time. "I have to go. I'll let Dani know you guys are coming for lunch. Could you get something for her, too? She likes what I like so whatever you decide to get will be fine."

"Okay," Chloe said. "We'll see you about Noon."

Beca walks around the table kissing Dylan and Sophie before she gets to Chloe. Chloe puts her arm around Beca's waist as she leans down to kiss her.

"I love you," Chloe whispered looking Beca in the eye.

"I love you, too," Beca whispered. "And I plan to show you how much tonight."

"Can't wait," Chloe said, and Beca kissed her again.

"Bye, guys," Beca said to the kids. "Love you!"

"Love you, too, mama," Sophie called out as Beca was leaving.

Beca felt as if she was walking on air. This morning was the first time in months she's had breakfast with her family, and everyone was happy when she left. Now all she had to do was figure out what she was going to do about New Orleans.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Beca walked up to Dani's desk smiling.

"Someone's in a good mood," Dani said.

"Yep," Beca said. "Chloe and I had quite the afternoon. We spent time talking, and things are better. Also, before I forget, Chloe and the kids are bringing us lunch so you won't have to order anything."

"Great," Dani said. "I love it when Sophie and Dylan are here."

"Can you come into my office for a few minutes?," Beca asked Dani as she looked through her messages.

"Want me to bring you some coffee?," Dani asked.

"Please," Beca said. "Thank you."

"I'll be right back," Dani said and left her desk.

Beca went into her office and sat down. She organized her messages from most important to least important as she fired up her laptop. Dani knocked once and entered the office carrying Beca's coffee in one hand and envelopes and her notepad in the other. She set the coffee on Beca's desk and held two large envelopes out to Beca.

"What are these?," Beca asked as she took them.

"The offers from Sony and RCA," Dani responded. "They were sitting on my desk when I came in."

"Oh, okay," Beca said. "I'll take a look at them later. But, first I need to fill you on some stuff that happened yesterday."

"If it's about Theo and Blaze," Dani said. "The office gossips beat you to it."

"Oh, well that's good, I guess," Beca said. "There's something else I need to tell you, though."

"What's up?," Dani asked.

"This is close-hold so keep it to yourself for now," Beca said.

"That goes without saying," Dani said.

"Khaled has been planning to open a satellite studio in New Orleans," Beca said. "He was going to have Theo run it, but now that Theo is out, I've been asked to step in."

"Wow," Dani said, eyes widening at the news. "That's, um, great, Beca. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," Beca said. "But, I haven't made a decision yet. Chloe doesn't want to move to New Orleans. Running my own studio is a dream of mine but running Khaled's studio is a close second. I'm not sure what's going to happen because I need to consider what's best for my family. Once I see what RCA and Sony are offering, and I see the contract Khaled comes up with, I'll make a decision. I meant what I said about taking you with me to RCA or Sony if you're interested. I'll have to decide by the end of next week. I wanted you to know, so you had time to think about my offer."

"I talked to Jane last night," Dani said. "She said she was on board with whatever I wanted to do. She knows you'll make sure I'm taken care of."

"Good to know," Beca said. "I need to see Khaled at some point today. I want to see what my options are here if I decide to decline the New Orleans offer."

"I'll call Joan and see what we can schedule," Dani said and stood. "Oh, did you have anything else?"

"No," Beca said. "That's it. Thanks, Dani."

"I'll get back to you as soon as I've talked to Joan," Dani said.

Beca nodded and started returning phone calls. Dani came back about ten minutes later.

"Joan said Khaled flew out to New Orleans this morning," Dani told Beca. "He'll be back in the office on Friday, and we put you on his calendar at 9:30. Joan said he wanted to speak to you personally about some things."

"That's fine," Beca said. "Just gives me two days of anxiety to get through."

"Maybe you can use this time to convince Chloe to move to New Orleans," Dani said.

"I don't know if that's going to happen," Beca said. "She's upset about the idea. She's also been honest with me that she doesn't want to move. I appreciate her honesty, but it makes the decision even harder. If I take the job in New Orleans, I'm sure Chloe will accept it, but it may put a bigger strain on my marriage than there already is. If I don't take it, Chloe will be happy, but I don't know it will mean for me here."

"I'm sure you two will work something out," Dani said. "If you don't need anything else, I'll be at my desk."

"No, I'm good," Beca said. "Thanks, Dani."

Dani left Beca's office and spent the next couple of hours responding to phone and email messages.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Chloe looks at the time and smiles. "Sophie, let's get ready to go have lunch with mama."

"Okay, mommy," Sophie said and went running up to her room.

Chloe picks up Dylan and takes him upstairs. She stops at Sophie's room and looks in on her.

"Can I wear my jeans and my Minnie Mouse shirt?," Sophie asked holding them up to show Chloe.

"Sure," Chloe said. "I'll put Dylan's Mickey Mouse shirt on him."

"Cool," Sophie said and started changing.

Chloe took Dylan into his room and changed him. She then took him to her room and set him on the floor with a toy so she could freshen up. Once they were all ready to go, Chloe packed up the diaper bag throwing in an extra shirt for Sophie, just in case. She got the two buckled into their seats and drove off.

"Where should we get lunch from, Soph?," Chloe asked. "Mama said we could choose."

"The diner?," Sophie suggested. "I like their chicken tenders."

"The diner it is," Chloe said and drove off in that direction.

The diner was busy, so it took a little longer to get their order. When it was finally ready, she sent Beca a text to let her know they would be at the studio in about twenty minutes.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

"Chloe's on her way with lunch," Beca told Dani. "She should be here in a few minutes."

"I can't wait to see Dylan and Sophie," Dani said. "You guys have the cutest kids."

"That's all Chloe," Beca said. "We used a donor with my hair and eye color so they would resemble me somewhat. But, they both came out with the red hair and blue eyes just like Chloe."

"I was surprised at how well Dylan was walking at his party," Dani said. "He fell on his butt a few times but all in all he did well."

Beca grimaced slightly knowing that she missed Dylan's party and him walking around.

"I know," Beca said. "He's gaining more confidence. You should have seen the way he came walking into the family room like he owned it."

Dani laughed. She heard a voice squeal "mama" and looked at Beca. "I think they're here."

"What was your first clue?," Beca asked with a laugh.

Beca started down the hall to help Chloe carry the lunch bags. Sophie got to her first and barreled into her almost knocking her over. "Whoa, Soph," Beca said catching her. "That's not how we act at mama's work."

"I'm sorry, mama," Sophie said. "I was so happy to see you."

"I'll forgive you this time," Beca said as she grabbed Sophie up and flung her over her shoulder. "But, only because I'm happy to see you, too."

Sophie giggled as Beca waited for Chloe and took one of the bags she was carrying. She leaned in for a quick kiss, and they walked back to Beca's office. Sophie was holding onto the back of Beca's shirt, giggling as her torso hung down Beca's back. Beca opened the door and let Chloe enter with Dylan.

"Dani!," Sophie squealed as she raised her head to see the woman. "Are you having lunch with us?"

"Yes I am," Dani said as she followed Beca into her office. "Do you need some help getting down from your mama's shoulder?"

"Yes, please," Beca said.

Dani grabbed Sophie and lifted her off Beca's shoulder. She set her down, and Sophie hugged her. Dani hugged her back and smiled down at her. "Ready to eat?," Dani asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Sophie said and sat on the floor next to the table where Chloe and Beca were emptying the food.

"Hey, Dani," Chloe said and handed her a take-out container. "I got you the turkey club."

"Thanks," Dani said.

"Did you get my tenders?," Sophie asked sitting up on her knees to look at the food on the table.

"Right here," Beca said grabbing the container with the tenders and fries. She placed it in front of Sophie.

"Hey, Becs," Chloe said. "Can I talk to you for a minute? Alone."

"Um, sure," Beca said. "Dani? Would you mind keeping an eye on Sophie and Dylan for a few minutes?"

"I don't mind," Dani said. "Take your time."

Beca led Chloe to the small conference room next to her office. She held the door open for Chloe and turned to ask what was going on when she felt Chloe grab her and kiss her. They finally came up for air and stood staring at each other.

"Not that I'm complaining," Beca said. "But what was that for?"

"I just wanted to kiss you properly," Chloe said. "Give you a preview of what we've been missing."

"The coming attractions are nice," Beca said with a smirk. "But I'm ready for the main event."

Chloe smiled and gave Beca another quick kiss on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Beca said.

Beca and Chloe rejoined Dani and the kids, and the group sat around eating and laughing.

"DJ Khaled called while you were with Chloe," Dani said. "He said to call him back on his cell after Chloe and the kids leave. He said it wasn't urgent."

"Okay, thanks," Beca said.

"Do you want us to go?," Chloe asked.

"No," Beca said quickly. "Let's finish eating. He said it wasn't urgent so it can wait."

Dani loved having Beca for a boss. Beca and Chloe had become family to her and Jane. The kids always kept them all on their toes. She and Jane have been talking about having kids but never really got past the talking stage. Looking at Sophie hugging Dylan, made Dani really want to have a baby. Maybe she and Jane needed to do more than talk about it. She smiled as they continued chatting and eating.

About twenty minutes later, there was a knock on Beca's office door. Beca called out for whoever it was to come in. The door opened and Joan, Khaled's assistant, poked her head in.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Beca," Joan said. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's fine," Beca said. "What's up?"

"Khaled asked me to hand-deliver these to you," Joan said, handing Beca an envelope. "He wants you to look them over before your meeting on Friday. He also said you don't have to call him back. He'll discuss everything with you on Friday."

"Thanks, Joan," Beca said as she took the envelope. "I'll make sure I look them over before Friday."

"Perfect," Joan said. "How have you been Chloe?"

"I'm good, thanks," Chloe said and smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm doing well, thank you," Joan said and smiled at Sophie and Dylan. "I can't believe how big these two are getting. I need to get back. It was great to see you, Chloe; you too, Dani."

Joan left, and Chloe watched her. "Is she always so formal? I mean even in just a casual conversation she has this air of...formality about her."

"She's been that way as long as I've known her," Beca said.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

The rest of the day passed by slowly for Beca. Since Khaled was gone, and she didn't have any artists to work with, she wandered around the studio checking in with some of the other producers. It was finally time to go home and she couldn't get out of there fast enough. She grabbed up the three offers and stuffed them in her bag and headed out the door. Dani was leaving just as Beca came out of her office.

"Oh, hey, you leaving?," Beca asked.

"Yeah," Dani said. "Unless you needed something."

"No, I'm heading home, too," Beca said.

They walked to the elevator together and parted ways when Dani got off on the main floor, and Beca continued down to the garage. Beca got home and walked into the house to hear Chloe singing in the kitchen. She quietly put her bag and keys down by the door and crept to the kitchen. She leaned against the door frame and watched as Chloe danced and sang in front of the stove. Sophie was coloring and hadn't noticed her yet. Dylan was clapping and giggling at his mommy.

"Sing with me, Dylan," Chloe said walking over to the toddler.

"Mama!," Sophie suddenly squealed and climbed from the stool to run over to Beca.

Beca grabbed her up and hugged her tight. "Hello, my love," Beca said kissing Sophie on the forehead.

"Hey, babe," Chloe said walking over and kissing Beca. "How was your afternoon."

"Long," Beca said. "I was never so glad to see 5:30 in my life."

Chloe went back to the stove, and Beca carried Sophie back to the counter and sat her down on the stool. She then picked up Dylan and danced around with him, picking up the song Chloe had been singing. Chloe sang along with her, and when they were done, Sophie and Dylan were both clapping and giggling.

"Dinner's just about ready," Chloe said. "Why don't you and the kids get washed up."

Beca carried Dylan and Sophie walked in front of them. Once they washed up, they want back to the kitchen to see that Chloe had set the counter for them to eat.

After dinner, Beca spent time with Sophie and Dylan playing hide-and-go-seek until it was time to put Dylan to bed. Chloe took care of him while Beca and Sophie got popcorn and drinks for their movie. Chloe came back down to find Beca putting in a DVD while Sophie sat on the couch with the popcorn bowl on her lap. Chloe sat next to her and grabbed some popcorn as Beca started the movie. Beca sat on the other side of Chloe, so Chloe was now between her and Sophie.

Beca smiled at her wife and daughter. Tonight was the first night in a long time that she spent with Chloe and Sophie where she wasn't on her phone responding to work emails or texts. The first time in a long time she remembers feeling relaxed while at home. She knows that in the past few months she acted as if she were listening to Chloe when Chloe tried to talk to her. She remembers most of the vital stuff that pertained to the kids. But, Chloe was right, everything else just went in one ear and out the other as she was more focused on what was happening in the studio than what was happening to her family.

Beca nuzzled Chloe's neck, and Chloe turned toward her. Beca captured Chloe's lips in a kiss and Chloe put her arm around Beca's neck and pulled her deeper into the kiss.

"I love you," Beca said after they finally parted, both breathing a little heavy.

"I love you, too," Chloe said and kissed Beca again.

"You're missing the best part," Sophie said seeing her moms kissing.

"Sorry, Soph," Beca said as she pulled away from Chloe. "Later?"

"I plan on cashing in that rain check you promised this morning," Chloe said with a wink and snuggled into Beca so they could finish watching the movie.

Sophie had fallen asleep just before the movie ended. Beca picked her up while Chloe cleaned up the popcorn and drinks.

"I'll be back to help you," Beca said and carried Sophie to her room and put her to bed. She came back downstairs just as Chloe was taking their empty cups into the kitchen. "Is that it?"

"Yeah," Chloe said as Beca followed her in. "I'm going to take care of the dishes and wipe down the counters. I shouldn't be more than twenty minutes."

"Okay," Beca said and left the kitchen. She was back a few minutes later carrying the three envelopes with the different offers she needed to review. She sat at the counter and opened the first one from Sony.

Beca scanned through the document looking for a few key things and looked at Chloe. "Looks like Sony is willing to match whatever Khaled offered concerning salary but made a note about leaving weekends and late nights open-ended."

"Doesn't sound promising," Chloe said as she was wiping down the sink.

"Nope," Beca said and opened the offer from RCA. She scanned through the offer like she did with Sony. "RCA is offering a twenty-five percent increase to my current salary, is agreeing to the no weekend clause, but leaves the longer weeknights open. Plus, they want me to put out an album of my own."

"They want to sign you as a singer?," Chloe asked, sitting next to Beca at the counter and reading over and leaning into Beca to read the offer.

"I've already done that and definitely know I don't want to do it again," Beca said. "It will mean going on tour and being away from you and the kids for months at a time. No thanks."

The two moms heard Dylan cry out over the monitor. Beca started to get up, and Chloe stopped her.

"You stay," Chloe said. "See what Khaled is offering. I'll see to Dylan."

"Thanks, babe," Beca said and kissed Chloe before she got up and left the kitchen.

"Well, Khaled," Beca said as she picked up the final envelope. "Let's see if New Orleans is the right choice."

She opens the envelope and pulls out two offers. She holds one in each hand and furrows her brow as she looks from one to the other. She puts one down and scans through the New Orleans offer. It was about what she expected. The no weekend and late night clause was in, and her salary was bumped up by fifty percent.

"You outdid Sony and RCA," Beca mumbled and then remembered the second offer from Khaled. She picked it up and scanned a few pages. Her eyes widened, and she went back to the first page to read the document line by line, making sure she understood everything she was reading. She was concentrating so hard that she jumped when Chloe spoke.

"What are you concentrating on so hard?," Chloe asked.

"Oh," Beca said. "Khaled gave me two offers and both are better than Sony and RCA. I guess he wants me to stay with the label." Beca said. "If I don't take the New Orleans job I'll still be with the label her in L.A. The New Orleans offer is really good. But I still need to talk to my lawyer about each of these before I decide anything though."

"Can I say something?," Chloe said as she sat next to Beca.

"Sure," Beca said feeling wary.

"I, um, did some more thinking today," Chloe said and held Beca's hand in hers. "And, first, I wanted to apologize for the past few months. I know I got upset because it felt like you didn't love me like you used to and it also felt like you checked out on us. But, I should have kept trying to get you to pay attention. I think I gave up because it was easier. I love you and I wasn't really showing it. I hope you can forgive me."

"I get it, Chlo," Beca said. "We both did things wrong this past year. I know I got so caught up in my work that I basically neglected you and the kids. I got good at faking paying attention. But, you are usually so good at reading me. I don't know how you didn't just call me on my shit every time."

"It was just easier because even when you were here, you weren't really here," Chloe said. "I mean, physically you were here, but mentally you were somewhere else. The first few months I had Dylan and Sophie and they took up a lot of my time so I also wasn't paying attention to what was happening between us. Then it was like six months later and I couldn't remember the last time you were home to have dinner with us. Or we had sex. Or you said I love you first."

Beca grimaced knowing what Chloe was saying was all true. She had kind of checked out on her family.

Chloe squeezed Beca's hand. "I didn't say it to make you feel bad. I mean, we both checked out because we were preoccupied with something else; you with the studio and me with Dylan and Sophie. We stopped talking about important stuff, and after a while, we just kind of stopped talking. I am just as much blame as you. I was so intent on making sure the kids were happy and taken care of I forgot to make sure you were happy and taken care of."

Beca pulled Chloe into a hug. "I'm glad Sophie told me about your special friend. It opened my eyes. And, I'm glad we're getting back to how we used to be. I just hope that wherever we end up, we can continue moving forward and forget about this past year."

"Agreed," Chloe said and pulled back to kiss Beca. "I also want you to know that I am behind whatever decision you make, whether it's RCA or Sony here in L.A., or staying with Khaled's label and moving to New Orleans."

Chloe looked nervously at Beca. Beca smiled. "What changed your mind?"

"I realized that I wanted to stay in L.A. for purely selfish reasons," Chloe said sheepishly. "Sophie will miss Bella, Maddie, and Ally, but she's outgoing and will make friends easily. Dylan's just a year old, and it won't really affect him as much. I'm a teacher and I'm confident I can find a teaching job there. If not, I guess I'll just have to let my sugar mama support me." Chloe gave Beca a small smile. "The job in New Orleans is perfect for you and you're perfect for it. So, wherever you go we go."

Beca laughed. "I love you," Beca said and pulled Chloe into a heated kiss. "Now, I seem to recall something about a rain check."

"I'm in," Chloe said as she jumped up and grabbed Beca's hand.

Beca let Chloe drag her upstairs. She stopped when they reached their bedroom door and pushed Chloe up against it. They had a heated make-out session before Chloe found the door handle and opened the door. They stumbled into the bedroom still kissing, and Beca used her foot to close the door before pushing Chloe back toward the bed.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Beca woke with a smile on her face. She looked over at Chloe and admired the beauty that was her wife. She gently pushed a lock of hair off Chloe's forehead, causing Chloe to stir at the action. She stretched and yawned, then opened her eyes.

"Hey," Chloe said, sleepy blue eyes looking at Beca. "What time is it?"

Beca checked her phone. "A little before 7:00," Beca told her.

Chloe moved to snuggle into Beca. "Give me five minutes, and I'll make you breakfast."

"That's okay," Beca said kissing the top of Chloe's head. "I want to get into the studio so I can scan the offers and send them to my lawyer. I have a meeting with Khaled tomorrow, and I want to make sure I understand all the finer points of both offers before I make a decision."

"When do you think you'll choose?," Chloe asked.

"After I talk to Khaled and we talk again," Beca said.

"I meant what I said last night," Chloe told her. "I know I did a complete 180, but I'm not changing my mind about this. Where you go, we go."

"Thank you for that," Beca said and kissed Chloe. "I am going to do what I think is best for the whole family. Not just me, or you, but all of us. Okay?"

"That's all I can ask for," Chloe responds with a smile. She covered another yawn and mumbled "Sorry."

"Go back to sleep," Beca said. "The kids will be up soon. I'll see you later."

"Love you," Chloe said as she snuggled under the covers.

"Love you, too," Beca said and got ready for her day.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

"Good morning," Dani said as Beca got to her desk. "Here are your messages."

Beca takes the messages and asks Dani to come into her office. Dani follows her in, and Beca takes the four contract offers out of her bag.

"Would you scan these and send them to me?," Beca asked as she handed the documents to Dani. "I need to send them to my lawyer as soon as I can so they can get back to me on what my best option would be. Although I have a feeling I know what they'll say."

"Sure thing," Dani said. "There's a message from Khaled asking that you call him as soon as you can."

"I'll do that now," Beca said. "Thanks, Dani. And those documents are a high priority."

"I'll take care of it right now," Dani said and left Beca alone in her office.

Beca calls DJ Khaled but gets his voicemail. She leaves a message letting him know she called and that she would be in her office all day. While waiting for Dani, she read through the rest of her messages and returned a few calls.

Dani returned about thirty minutes later and told Beca her documents should be in her email. Beca looked, and they were in her Inbox.

"Thanks, Dani," Beca said. "I called Khaled, but it went to voicemail. If he calls and I'm not at my desk, please find me."

"Will do," Dani said. "What would you like for lunch?"

"I think I'll just have a Chicken Caesar Wrap from the deli next door," Beca said.

"Is lunch at noon okay?," Dani asked.

"That's good," Beca replied.

Dani left and Beca starting composing an email to her lawyers. She wrote bullet points for each of the offers and the pros and cons of each. She left it in her Draft folder so she could go back to it later and read it once more before she sent it.

It was after eleven when Beca's cell phone rings and she smiles when sees that Chloe is calling.

"Hey, babe," Beca said answering the phone.

"Hey yourself," Chloe responded. "I'm sorry to bother you at work, but I wanted to see if it was alright with you if I called and invited Chicago and Ally to go to the zoo with us on Saturday. Sophie asked, and I didn't want to say yes unless you were okay with it."

"It's fine with me," Beca said. "It will be nice to meet Ally. What about Ally's mom? Sarah is it?"

"Yeah," Chloe said.

"Has Chicago taken her on a date yet?," Beca asked.

"I'm not sure," Chloe said. "He just asked her like two days ago. It will probably be this weekend sometime."

"Maybe we can watch Ally for them," Beca suggested. "Sophie and Ally can have a sleepover."

"I'm sure Sophie will love that," Chloe said. Beca could hear the smile in her voice.

"Yeah," Beca said. "I think it's time I met Sophie's new friend. Plus, I want to show Chicago that we are doing fine so he'd better not get any ideas about stealing my girl."

"Beca," Chloe said with a sigh.

"I'm kidding," Beca said with a small laugh. "Sort of. I admit I'm a bit jealous, but I know you love me and I have nothing to worry about."

"Now you know how I felt when Theo and Jesse were both trying to win you over," Chloe said. "I had to sit back and watch. Plus, you _**dated**_ Jesse for almost six years and now you're friends and spend time with him."

"Jesse and Theo wouldn't have been trying to win me over if I had known that you weren't with Chicago," Beca said.

"So, you would have told me you had feelings for me if you knew I wasn't with Chicago?," Chloe asked.

"Yes, no, maybe," Beca said and grimaced. "Probably, but not for a long while. I didn't want to lose you as a friend."

"I felt the same way," Chloe said. "And, these past few months I felt like I was competing against your job for your love."

"Chlo," Beca said quietly. "I know it hasn't seemed like it, but there is no competition. You win every time; hands down. Let's talk about something else and stop rehashing old stuff. We are on a new path, and after last night, I am loving the way things are going."

"Me, too," Chloe said. "I'm looking forward to many, many replays."

"Oh, yeah?," Beca asked, glad that Chloe couldn't see her blushing. "I think we should plan a weekend getaway, just you and me."

"I'd love that," Chloe said. "We've both been stressed and a nice relaxing weekend together sounds like heaven to me. We're going to be busy with the move and everything soon enough."

Beca's phone pinged with a message, and she glanced at it.

"Oh, shoot. I have to go, babe," Beca said. "Can we talk about this tonight?"

"Sure," Chloe said. "Is everything okay?"

"I just got a notification that Khaled is calling another emergency meeting," Beca said.

"I thought he was in New Orleans," Chloe said.

"He is, was, is," Beca said. "I don't know. I'm sorry to cut this short. I'll talk to you later. I love you."

"I love you, too," Chloe said before Beca ended the call.

Beca chewed on her bottom lip and wondered what could have happened that Khaled would fly back to L.A. so quickly. She gathered what she thought she might need and exited her office. Dani was standing at her desk with the phone to her ear.

"Okay," Dani said into the phone. "We're leaving the office right now." Dani hung up the phone and looked at Beca. "Joan just called and said that I should come to the meeting with you."

"Really?," Beca asked with raised eyebrows. "I wonder what the hell is going on?"

"Only one way to find out," Dani said.

Beca and Dani walked silently to the conference room for the meeting. They both sat and waited. The room was buzzing with multiple conversations.

Khaled walked in with Joan and went to the head of the table where he stood. Joan sat behind him, and everyone got quiet.

"Thank you, everyone, for getting here so quickly," Khaled said. "I have an announcement to make that is going to surprise everyone. I have been working on opening a studio in New Orleans." Several people started murmuring, and Khaled raised his hand to quiet them. "The studio is now ready to open. I had originally picked Theo Burnett to be my manager at the new studio, but in light of recent events, I've asked Beca Mitchell to take the spot. That is no longer going to happen."

Beca sat up straight and looked at Khaled. "I am pulling the job offer for her to go to New Orleans."

People started murmuring and looking at Beca. Beca was embarrassed and angry. Dani put a hand on her arm to keep Beca calm. Khaled continued to talk, and Beca was doing her best not to show how upset she was.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Beca and Dani sat in Beca's office, stunned.

"Did that just happen?," Beca asked.

"It did," Dani said.

"What are you going to do?," Beca asked.

"I'll go wherever I'm needed," Dani said.

Before Beca could say anything, Khaled and Joan came through the door.

"I'm sorry about throwing a curveball at you," Khaled said.

"It's, um, it's okay," Beca said. "I'm just curious to know what brought it on."

Khaled said and sat down. "Before we go any further, I need you both to keep what happened today to yourselves. We can't have it getting out before tomorrow. I've already told the others."

"I can't tell Chloe?," Beca asked. "Do you want her to kill me?"

"You can tell your wife," Khaled said with a laugh. "The PR folks are putting together a press conference for 10:00 tomorrow morning. I want you both to be there. And Beca it would be perfect if you could have Chloe and the kids there. Afterward, I'd like to talk to you and Chloe."

"Okay," Beca said. "But, no matter what Dani decides to do, I want her taken care of."

"I promise you, she'll be taken care of," Khaled said.

Beca and Dani both nodded, and Khaled proceeded to tell them the events that had transpired over the last forty-eight hours.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Beca arrived home and still couldn't believe what had happened. She stood with her back to the front door and let out a sigh. Chloe, carrying Dylan, came from the kitchen and Sophie came running in from the family room.

"Mama!," Sophie squealed as she jumped onto Beca.

"Oomph!," Beca said as she managed to grab Sophie before she fell. "Careful, Soph."

"I'm just glad you're home," Sophie said and kissed Beca on the cheek.

Beca couldn't help but smile at her. "I'm glad I'm home, too." She leaned over and kissed Dylan and Chloe. "Hey, babe."

"Hey, baby," Chloe said. "Dinner's almost ready."

Chloe turned to walk back to the kitchen and Beca followed. Chloe put Dylan in his high chair, and Beca sat Sophie on a stool at the counter.

"How was your day?," Chloe asked as she went to the oven and pulled out the chicken.

"It was...interesting," Beca said.

"Yeah?," Chloe said as she set the chicken on the counter. "What was the emergency meeting about?"

"Well," Beca said and then gave a little frown. "Khaled told everyone about the studio in New Orleans and then withdrew my offer to run it."

"What?," Chloe asked, shocked. "Did he say why?"

"Yeah," Beca said and leaned back against the counter. "He's planning to run it himself. Nicole wants to move to New Orleans to raise Asahd there. It's where Khaled was born, and she wants Asahd to be able to spend time with his grandparents while he's still young."

"Good for her. But, does he really think he can run two studios?," Chloe asked. "That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen."

"That's not exactly the plan," Beca said. "He's having a press conference tomorrow morning to announce his plans. This is going to cause a big stir in the music world."

Chloe looked at Beca and saw that she was looking down at the floor. "Hey," Chloe said as she stood in front of Beca. Beca looked up at her. "What does this mean for you?"

"Well, my old job is being given to some new guy Khaled hired," Beca said.

"He fired you?," Chloe asked incredulously. "How could he do that?"

"Technically, yes, he did fire me as the second lead producer," Beca said trying to hide her excitement. "Only because I'll be too busy with my new job running the L.A. studio." Beca finally smiled the biggest smile and Chloe just looked at her.

"What?," Chloe asked. Beca's words finally registered and her eyes grew wide. "Are you serious?" Beca just nodded. "OH, MY GOD, BECA! I'm so proud of you."

Chloe grabbed Beca and hugged her. Beca hugged her back and started laughing. She pulled back from Choe and said. "I'm so excited about this opportunity. Although we do need to talk because I'm going to be really busy for the next two months or so while Khaled transitions to the New Orleans office and I take over here in L.A."

"That's okay," Chloe said. "Just promise me that you get to make your own schedule and won't have to work late nights and weekends."

"I promise," Beca said and kissed Chloe.

"Let's eat, and we can talk more later," Chloe said.

"Agreed," Beca said. "I'll set the table."

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

After the kids were in bed, Beca and Chloe were laying snuggled together in their own bed. Beca was sitting up slightly against the headboard while Chloe had her head on Beca's chest and arms wrapped around Beca's waist.

"I think this will turn out great," Beca said. "I still get to run a studio, and we get to stay in L.A."

"I'm so proud of you, Becs," Chloe said and kissed Beca on the neck. "You've earned this whether it's here in L.A. or New Orleans."

"Have I told you how much I appreciate that you were willing to move to New Orleans for me?," Beca asked. "Even though you hated the idea."

"I didn't _hate_ the idea," Chloe said.

"Really?," Beca asked looking down to give Chloe a skeptical look.

"Okay," Chloe said looking at Beca with a smile. "I did hate the idea. But I love you and, like I said, where you go, I go. I'm not that easy to get rid of."

"I'll have to try harder next time," Beca said with a laugh as Chloe swatted her on the stomach.

Beca leaned down and kissed Chloe and Chloe moved so that she was straddling Beca. She deepened the kiss.

"I guess we're done talking now," Beca said as the kiss ended.

"Yes," Chloe said softly. "Now shut up and kiss me again."

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

"Are you sure I look okay?," Beca asked for the hundredth time as she stared at her reflection. She was wearing a black skirt that hit at the knees with a bright red button-down silk blouse.

"You look great, babe," Chloe said coming behind her and putting her arms around Beca's waist. "You look hot actually." Chloe kissed Beca's shoulder.

"Do I look professional?," Beca asked. "I want to look professional."

"You look really pretty, mama," Sophie said.

"You look pretty and professional," Chloe said. "Stop worrying. We need to leave in a few minutes."

Chloe pulled away from Beca and picked up Dylan who was happily playing on their bed.

"Look how handsome you look in your suit, Dyl," Chloe said and kissed his cheek.

"I can't believe he has a suit," Beca said as she walked over and helped Sophie hop down off the bed.

"Every man needs a nice suit," Chloe said.

"How do you like my dress, mama?," Sophie asked as she twirled around.

"You look gorgeous, Soph," Beca said. "Very grown up."

"Everyone ready?," Chloe asked.

Beca grabbed the diaper bag and her keys and purse. "Ready."

The family left the house and Beca drove them to the studio. The press had already started arriving. Beca carried Dylan and led Chloe and Sophie through the small crowd. They entered the building and went straight to Beca's office.

"Hey, Dani," Chloe said as they approached her desk.

"Hey, Chloe," Dani said. "Dyl, you look dashing in your suit."

Dylan giggled and buried his head in Beca's neck. Dani smiled and looked at Sophie.

"And look at you, Miss Sophie," Dani said. "Looking fab, darling."

"Thank you," Sophie said and giggled.

"Do you know what time we need to be downstairs?," Beca asked Dani.

"Joan said we should be down there at least 10 minutes before the press conference starts," Dani said.

"Great," Beca said. "We're going to put our stuff in my office and hang out for a bit. You can come and wait with us if you want."

"I'd like that," Dani said. "I'm kind of nervous."

The group walked into Beca's office, and Beca put Dylan on the sofa. She got her laptop and pulled up a movie to keep him and Sophie entertained. Dani and Chloe sat in chairs and Beca sat on the sofa next to Dylan.

"Have you thought any more on my offer?," Beca asked Dani.

"I did," Dani said. "Jane and I talked about it last night. I'd love to continue to be your assistant."

Beca smiled and jumped up to hug Dani. "Thank you. I don't know what I would do if I had to break in a new assistant while trying to figure out my new job."

"What about Joan?," Chloe asked.

"She's going to New Orleans with Khaled," Beca responded. "I asked Dani if she would continue to work with me, but she wasn't sure."

"I was worried about the long hours and such," Dani said. "But I talked to Joan and she said that Khaled pretty much made his own schedule. He, like Beca, made sure he could be home for dinner most nights and scheduled one weekend a month where he would be in the studio but only if needed."

"I like that," Chloe said with a smile toward Beca. "We kind of like seeing Beca's face at the dinner table."

"The first couple of months might be busy," Beca said. "I'll be spending a lot of time with Khaled trying to learn the day-to-day stuff, as well as everything else he does in running the studio. Plus, I'll still get to produce."

"And I'll be right there with her," Dani said. "Joan promised to show me a few things before she heads down to New Orleans."

"Well, if we know the end result will be Beca home for dinner and her weekends free, we can handle a couple of months of late nights and weekends," Chloe said.

"Mommy, I have to go potty," Sophie said.

"We should start heading down for the press conference," Dani said.

"Okay," Beca said and stood up. "Chlo, you take Sophie to the bathroom and I'll take Dylan with me. We'll see you downstairs."

"Okay," Chloe said and kissed Beca. "Come on, Soph."

Sophie takes Chloe's hand and they leave Beca's office. Beca turns off the movie and picks Dylan up.

"Let's go, little man," Beca said.

Dani and Beca walk out and take the elevator downstairs. Beca puts Dylan down and holds his hand so he can walk. She keeps her steps slow and steady as they walk toward Joan and Khaled. Dani stands next to Joan and starts chatting with her.

"Beca," Khaled said in greeting and looks down at Dylan. "Little man, looking dashing. Where's Chloe?"

"Sophie needed to use the restroom," Beca responded. "They'll be down in a few minutes."

"Good, good," Khaled said. "Are you ready for this?"

"No," Beca said with a laugh. "But let's do it anyway."

Beca crouches down in front of Dylan and straightens out his jacket and tie. She sees Khaled's wife Nicole carrying Asahd walking toward them. She stands and greets Nicole.

"This is quite exciting," Nicole said.

"Yes, it is," Beca said.

"Where's Chloe?," Nicole asked.

"Right behind you," she heard Chloe's reply. "How are you, Nicole?"

"Glad that Khaled has someone like Beca to turn this studio over to," Nicole said.

"We're ready," Khaled said and ushered everyone outside.

Once outside, Beca, Chloe, their kids, Dani, and Joan are joined by most of the producers for the studio. Khaled and Nicole walk up to the mics have been set up on the podium.

"First, I want to thank you all for coming out today," Khaled said getting everyone's attention. "I have asked you all here because I have a big announcement to make regarding my label. I am expanding my brand and will be opening a new studio in New Orleans next month. I will be running that studio and have promoted Beca Mitchell to manage the studio here in L.A."

Questions start flying as soon as the words are out of Khaled's mouth. Khaled puts his hands up to stop the questions. "I'll take questions but one at a time please."

"DJ Khaled!," one reporter said loudly. "Why the move to New Orleans?"

"Well, you all know that's where I'm from," Khaled said. "I've been planning to open a studio outside of L.A. and what better place than where I came from. Plus, my wife wants to raise Asahd there, so this was the perfect time to make a move."

"Why Beca Mitchell?," one reporter asked. "I mean, why not someone who has experience running a studio?"

Beca frowned and bristled a bit at this question. Chloe took her hand to keep her calm. Beca looked at Chloe and gave her a grateful smile.

"I trust Beca Mitchell," Khaled said causing Chloe to squeeze Beca's hand. "Beca has done great things for this label since I signed her. She had two hit albums that won three Grammys before she turned to strictly producing, for which she three more Grammys. She knows me, she knows this studio, and I have all the faith in the world in her. There is no one better for the job."

"Miss Mitchell! Miss Mitchell!," another reporter calls out for Beca. Beca looks a little unsure of what to do when Khaled motions her over.

"Yeah?," Beca said as she moved in front of the mics.

"How does it feel to be tapped to manage Khaled's L.A. studio?," the reporter asked.

"I'm honored," Beca responded. "DJ Khaled saw something in me almost seven years ago and gave me a shot. I will work hard to keep _We The Best Music Group_ up to the standards the Khaled has set."

The press conference went on for another ten minutes before Khaled called an end to it. He led Nicole and Asahd back into the building, followed by Beca's family and the rest of the group. As everyone congregated in the lobby, Khaled announced that there was a special lunch celebration at Noon in the large conference room near his office and. Everyone was excited and made their way to the elevators.

"Beca, Chloe," Khaled said to the couple. "Could you come to my office for a bit?"

"Um, sure," Beca said.

"I'll take the kids back to your office," Dani offered.

"Thanks, Dani," Chloe said and Dani took Dylan in her arms. She knelt down in front of Sophie. "Soph, you and Dylan go with Dani. Mama and I will be there in a bit, okay?"

"Okay, mommy," Sophie said and took Dani's hand.

Khaled, now holding Asahd, led the couple and his wife to his private elevator. They got on and Khaled took them to his office. Once inside he gave Asahd to Nicole, and they all sat down.

"Beca," Khaled said. "I know that the next couple of months are going to be hard on Chloe and the kids. You and I have a lot to do before I leave for New Orleans, so I want to give you a special bonus."

"Khaled, that's not necessary," Beca interrupts. "The salary and everything that goes with the new job is more than enough."

"This bonus is not just for you," Khaled said. "It's for your family. I want you to take next week off before we get started. I know that school starts in a few weeks and I wanted to give you and your family this vacation before everyone gets too busy. AND I want to pay for you and the family to spend the week at _Disney World_. And I mean with everything included. Airfare, park tickets, lodging, even money to pay for a babysitter so you two can have a night or two to yourselves."

Beca is dumbfounded. "This is amazing," Beca said. "I don't know what to say."

"I know I just sprung this one you," Khaled said. "But, you leave Sunday and fly back Saturday. All the reservations have been made, and Joan has all the confirmations and schedules for you. So, all you have to do is say thank you and go enjoy yourselves."

"Thank you, Khaled," Chloe said with a big smile. "The kids are going to love it."

"Of course," Beca said coming out of the daze she seemed to be in. "Thank you. It's the best bonus you could have given me."

"It was Nicole's idea," Khaled said smiling at his wife.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Beca and Chloe left Khaled's office with Beca's head still reeling from all that's happened. Joan stopped them and handed Beca an envelope.

"This has all your trip information, including all your tickets," Joan said with a smile. "And this is now yours," Joan handed Beca a key causing Beca to give her a questioning look. "It's the key to your elevator."

Beca smiled. "Thank you, Joan," Beca said and Chloe echoed.

Chloe took Beca's hand as they walked to the elevator. Beca put the key in and the doors opened. She ushered Chloe in and followed. The doors closed and Beca hit the floor button for her office. She looked at Chloe and pulled her into a kiss.

"I might like having my own private elevator," Beca said when the kiss ended.

Chloe laughed as the elevator stopped and the doors opened. They walked to Beca's office and entered to hear Sophie and Dani laughing.

"Hey, guys," Dani called out.

"Thanks for watching the kids for us," Chloe said.

"Hey, Soph," Beca said grabbing up her daughter and spinning her around. "Guess where we're going."

Sophie was laughing and smiling. "Where?," she asked as Beca slowed down and just held Sophie.

" _Disney World_ ," Beca said.

Sophie's mouth dropped open. "Really?," Sophie said and squealed. Hearing Sophie squealing and clapping her hands caused Dylan to join in.

Chloe and Beca laughed at their kids. Dani stood back smiling. "I'm so jealous," Dani said. "I haven't been to Disney World in forever."

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Beca and Chloe are in the family room with Sophie while Dylan is taking a nap. Sophie is watching a movie and Beca and Chloe are chatting quietly.

"I can't believe Khaled gave us a full week in _Disney World_ ," Chloe said.

"Pretty sweet deal," Beca said. She grew quiet and sat chewing on her bottom lip.

"What's got you anxious?," Chloe asked.

"I'm not anxious," Beca said. Chloe just looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Okay, maybe I'm a little anxious. This new job is going to be great. I'm just worried about us getting through the next month or two. I, I don't want to become that workaholic Beca again."

"Don't worry," Chloe said. "I won't let you."

"I have to admit that I've been more relaxed and happy this past week," Beca said. "And I love that we're going to the zoo together tomorrow and _Disney World_ next week." Beca smiles and looks a Chloe. "Do you know what I'm most looking forward to?"

"What?," Chloe asked as she moved closer to Beca.

"Being alone with you," Beca said quietly. She pulled Chloe to her and kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Chloe said and kissed Beca again.

 **~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~**

Six months later Chloe is at home and it's almost dinner time when her phone rings. She sees it Beca and answers.

"Hey, babe," Chloe answered. "Where are you? Dinner's almost ready. Aubrey and Stacie are already here."

"Yeah, about that," Beca said a bit hesitant. "I'm kind of stuck at the studio, so I'm going to be late. Just calling to tell you not to wait up."

"Beca," Chloe said with a sigh looking at Aubrey. She got up and moved to the hallway to talk privately. "We've talked about this. This will be the third night in a row that you've done this. I don't want you falling back into your old habits."

"I know," Beca said. "But it can't be helped."

"Seriously, Beca?," Chloe said getting a bit angry. The doorbell rings before she can say anything else. "Hold on a sec. Someone's at the door."

"I really need to go, Chloe," Beca said.

"Just hold on!," Chloe whisper-yelled into the phone. "We're not done talking about this."

Beca ended the call as Chloe answered the door. She was surprised to find a smirking Beca standing there. "Can we be?," Beca asked.

"I hate you," Chloe said with a smile.

"I hate you, too," Beca said and pulled Chloe into a kiss. "I was just making sure that you would really call me on my shit if I started falling into my old ways."

"I told you I would," Chloe said leaving her arms around Beca's neck and pulling her into another kiss.

"Mmmmm," Beca said as she pulled back from the kiss. "Something's smells good."

"Oh, the chicken," Chloe squealed and rushed to the kitchen.

Beca smiled as she watched Chloe run to the kitchen. She closed the door and then heard Sophie and Dylan running to greet her. Beca grabbed them both up and kissed their cheeks causing them to giggle. She half-carried half-dragged them into the living room to greet Aubrey and Stacie.

Life was good in the Mitchell household as they sat down to an evening with their best friends.

* * *

 **I know the ending is cheesy but the story was never going to be about continuing angst. It was about two people who loved each other and got caught up in their own thing.**

 **Quick question: Why is it in most fics when Beca and Jesse break up after dating for quite some time, no one questions whether Beca could be cheating on Chloe with Jesse when she spends so much time with him? And, why in this fic, when Chloe kissed a guy once several years ago, sees him again and becomes friends, she's cheating on Beca?**


End file.
